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The Tribune

Volume:117 No.223, OCTOBER 16TH, 2020

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ATLANTIS OPENING

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

ATLANTIS is targeting a phased re-opening before year-end 2020 by creating a COVID-19 free “bubble” for guests via the Vacation in Place model, it was revealed yesterday.

The Paradise Island mega resort’s plans were detailed in leaked notes from what appeared to be a briefing held yesterday morning by Audrey Oswell, its president and managing director, for senior management executives to update them on the property’s plans.

An Atlantis spokesperson declined to comment when contacted by Tribune Business yesterday, but this newspaper was able to confirm via independent sources that the notes were genuine and an accurate account of what had been discussed at the 10.30am meeting.

While The Bahamas’

largest private sector employer has yet to settle on a precise re-opening date, the notes stated that present plans call for this to be before year-end. The Atlantis website is presently accepting reservations from December 1, 2020, which - while not providing complete certainty as to when it will return - may give a further insight into its long-awaited re-opening timeline.

Ms Oswell said the phased re-opening strategy, which was designed during Atlantis’s multiple aborted attempts to open during summer 2020, remains in place. Not all employees will be brought back to work for the re-opening, with the ramp-up in staffing dependent on booking volumes and occupancy levels.

Recent lobbying and protests by some Atlantis employees were further discussed yesterday.

SEE PAGE EIGHT

‘ACT TODAY TO TACKLE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE’

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

AS the nation grapples with fallout from COVID19, another social ill – domestic violence – is said to be mushrooming out of control.

According to activist Khandi Gibson, she receives multiple calls daily from people enduring all forms of violence, especially in households where the weight of the economic downturn is heaviest.

SEE PAGE THREE

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

AS MONEY IS CUT, NIB ‘DOING BEST WE CAN’

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net PUBLIC Service and National Insurance Board Minister Brensil Rolle defended a reduction in unemployment benefits to $100 a week yesterday, insisting “We’re doing the best we can.”

He said: “We realise that it is not perhaps what individuals have been accustomed to or what they have been making but you got to also take into context that we’ve been doing this now for six months and we’ve been making payments to individuals for this period and we must be assured that basically we

started (at) $200 a week and it has reduced to $150 and now it’s to $100.

“I hear the frustration as well from some individuals and I say we hear your cry and we know it’s tough, but we too are taking the position that we must do some things and one of the things we are doing is providing some form of income support to families that may be out of work.”

The board has paid out more than $160m in benefits and assistance cheques to unemployed workers directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with over $12m spent towards Hurricane Dorian victims to date.

SEE PAGE TWO

THE AGONY AND ECSTASY OF SPORT

VIRTUAL CLASSES NOW ALL ONLINE

HEARTS in Atlantis as the resort sends a message in lights to passers-by. The resort yesterday revealed it is planning to reopen before the end of the year. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

EDUCATION Minister Jeffrey Lloyd says the ministry’s Learning Management System (LMS) is now fully operational after thousands of public school students experienced problems trying to log on this week.

SEE PAGE THREE

BANNISTER - ‘DISCONNECTIONS CAN’T HAPPEN’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A CABINET minister yesterday pledged that the Water & Sewerage Corporation will not be allowed to restart delinquent residential customer disconnections, saying: “That ain’t going to happen.”

Desmond Bannister, minister of works, told Tribune Business that while Adrian Gibson, the Water & Sewerage Corporation’s executive

MINISTER of Public Desmond Bannister. chairman, “means the economic and challenges produced

Works well” health by the

COVID-19 pandemic make it critical that Bahamians continue to receive a home water supply.

Responding after Mr Gibson told this newspaper he would write to Cabinet ministers yesterday urging that disconnections resume because of the Corporation’s “dire financial straits”, Mr Bannister admitted the situation calls for “tough decisions” from the Government.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

WILL THESE VOICES BE HEARD IN OIL DEBATE?

SEE PAGE NINE

PAGE 2, Friday, October 16, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

AS MONEY IS CUT, NIB ‘DOING BEST WE CAN’ from page one

PUBLIC Service and National Insurance Board Minister Brensil Rolle.

Mr Rolle revealed the figures during his ministry’s press conference yesterday when he noted that the organisation’s total expenditure towards both Hurricane Dorian and COVID-19’s initiatives has amounted to $176m.

While giving a full breakdown of the payments expended by the agency, Mr

Rolle said NIB has spent $91.6m in unemployment benefit payments to 37,000 beneficiaries since the onset of this pandemic.

As it relates to the government’s own unemployment benefit programme, he added that $56.1m has been spent towards that initiative so far to over 30,000 persons, with $15.6m paid out directly to self-employed people.

The programme, which

has now been extended until December, will allow for recipients to receive $100 instead of $150 per week for a maximum of 13 weeks.

Many have since criticised the reduction in payments, noting the funds as being barely enough to purchase much needed supplies for people and their families.

Yesterday, Mr Rolle acknowledged the

frustrations of Bahamians, but noted the government is doing all it can within the limited resources it has to provide as much help to those negatively affected by the health crisis.

According to Mr Rolle, over 7,000 Hurricane Dorian victims in Abaco and Grand Bahama received unemployment payments from NIB, amounting in total to $12.5m.

He added the programme was also funded by the government.

Meanwhile, some $90m has been also paid in retirement benefits and grants for old age pensioners.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been numerous complaints over delayed payments from NIB, with some claiming they have yet to receive assistance from the agency.

Addressing the issues yesterday, Mr Rolle said some workers had not received the payments in a timely manner due to some employers’ failing to pay NIB contributions on behalf of their employees.

Yesterday, NIB director Dr Nicola Virgill-Rolle said the agency has established an aggressive position on the issue, adding that officials will go after employers who have failed to pay workers’ NIB contributions.

“We have made compliance and going after delinquent employers a very high priority at the board. We have developed new tools which allows management to understand and to see those customers which are delinquent and to be able to set up former billings for those customers,” she said.

“We have re-tooled our Inspectorate Department to really focus during this period where they are not doing onsite inspections or in delinquencies and so this is a very important aspect with the pandemic.”

“Every Bahamian has seen how important contribution compliance with the NIB contributions really is. We’ve had good support. Our inspectors have reached out to the delinquent employers in terms of bringing their accounts back up in order. But that will be a very high priority for us.”

Officials also cited verification issues as the reason why some claims were delayed.

“NIB found that notwithstanding public announcements, claimants were not verifying their continued unemployment and so claims that were processed in the V3 systems were being suspended,” Mr Rolle continued.

“NIB’s V3 system also suspended thousands of claims where it found contributions in the system past the reported last day of work. NIB’s IT and customer service departments worked to address this so legitimate claims could be paid directly.”

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, October 16, 2020, PAGE 3

Davis: How can WSC disconnect when govt is the biggest debtor?

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Leader Philip “Brave” Davis has questioned how officials could consider disconnecting delinquent Water and Sewerage accounts when the government is the corporation’s largest debtor.

Mr Davis claimed the government owed WSC some $80m in unpaid bills – a colossal debt compared to the $9m owed by customers. A Ministry of Finance official could not confirm the $80m figure to The Tribune last night.

In a press statement yesterday, the former minister of works criticised WSC officials for considering

disconnections amid the COVID-19 pandemic when water plays a vital role in helping to break the virus’ transmission.

His statement came after WSC executive chairman Adrian Gibson told Tribune Business on Wednesday that he planned to write to the Cabinet asking to restart delinquent account disconnections as the utility provider grappled with dire financial straits.

“The Cabinet of The Bahamas made a policy decision to suspend water disconnection exercises by the Water and Sewerage Corporation in the wake of the COVID-19 so the request by the executive chairman of WSC to recommence disconnection exercises has to be seen as

a moot point,” Mr Davis said.

“The country is in the middle of the worst phase of the COVID-19 pandemic to date where infections are on the increase and water disconnections at this critical juncture would make it more difficult for thousands of Bahamians to sanitise their hands, bodies and surfaces, potentially worsening the community spread of the virus.

“Additionally, a Cabinet approval would contradict the initial policy intent of the government that the competent authority said was driven by science and send a wrong and confusing message to the general public.”

The Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador MP

continued: “Further, how could the government justify disconnecting delinquent WSC customers who owe some $9m when the corporation’s single largest customer, the Bahamas government, owes WSC almost $80m in unpaid water bills?

“A Cabinet approval would appear duplicitous and hypocritical on the face of it. The cash shortfalls the corporation’s chairman is complaining about are common in many households under these very challenging economic conditions.

“I hope that with all of the crowing from the rafters by this government over their oversubscribed $600m international bond placement, the government

should lead by example and seek to immediately settle this enormous debt with WSC.” On Wednesday Mr Gibson said that the stateowned water supplier has little choice but to “recoup” some of the multi-million dollar sum it is owed given that current cash flows “cannot sustain monthly payments to vendors and [staff] payroll for the balance of 2020”.

He revealed that the corporation was “going back and forth” with the Ministry of Finance over reclaiming a “roughly $9m shortfall” in residential customer payments as a result of being directed to cease all disconnection activity since late March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With WSC facing a $30.8m “backlog” on payments due to vendors at end-August 2020, a sum that continues to grow, and a $15m-plus year-over-year decline in revenue for the year to-date, Mr Gibson said such “unprecedented challenges” required immediate action to place the entity on “a firmer footing”.

Noting that other government ministries, agencies and departments currently owe the corporation some $7.9m, with no payment made on this collective debt since March 2020 and COVID-19’s arrival, he added that the budget’s cut to its annual subsidy and Hurricane Dorian’s impact had further worsened the utility’s woes.

VIRTUAL CLASSES NOW ALL ONLINE

from page one

At a press conference yesterday, Ricardo Allen, CEO of One-on-One, one of the companies responsible for hosting the LMS, admitted they have challenges including many people logging into the system causing it to go down.

The LMS is being used for virtual instruction primarily on the islands of New Providence, Abaco and Eleuthera.

Education officials expressed confidence in the system after issues started to occur on Tuesday – the first day of instructional learning. Director of Education Marcellus Taylor said One-on-One and the other company responsible, Amazon Web Services, came up with a solution to go back to the LMS, which, he said, ran all of Wednesday with no challenges – indicating just under 21,000 people were able to go on and engage in the system that day.

However, on Wednesday, Bahamas Union of Teachers officials said the system encountered issues and many teachers were using alternative methods for instruction.

Yesterday, Mr Lloyd said the challenges faced on Tuesday were “behind us”.

He said: “We tested and retested to determine its capability of absorbing the demand that was placed upon it in the initial stages of Tuesday morning. It has not only met those demands, but it has succeeded it.

“Yes, we have a situation that is new to us — (a) Learning Management System and Education Management Information System, never ever before implemented in our country. Naturally, there will be from time to time certain inconveniences and possible disruption, but as we have demonstrated through the collaboration of our vendors and our partners we will meet those challenges and overcome them successfully to the benefit of our number one clients — our parents and our students.”

Despite Tuesday’s debacle, Mr Lloyd highlighted that somewhere around 13,000 people were successfully able to access the system.

Mr Allen said the system was ready, but the number of people who came on the LMS caused a “maintenance defense mechanism”.

“Within a three minute period, thousands of students came on to the system causing there to be a maintenance defense mechanism. System was temporarily down. We managed to get back up and yesterday we had a day where over 30 percent…. students came to the platform. No issue in terms of platform sustainability and so on.”

He added: “There’s no issues as far as the ability to sustain the pressures and the load that may come in fact I’m proud to share with that currently, based on the testing that we’ve done, we can accommodate in excess of 60,000 students based on the current setup and configuration.”

Meanwhile, Mr Taylor emphasized some schools are using other types of software to deliver the instructional programme software not running through the LMS. In fact, some are still running off these programmes thus Wednesday’s number did not include those individuals. He explained why the system had to be stopped at first.

“Indeed because of the challenges that were experienced with people getting on or people being in the system and getting bumped out and so forth the decision was made to stop the programme to do a proper maintenance exercise so that when the system was up and running again the challenges people were having in terms of getting on and staying on would be minimised or eliminated,” Mr Taylor said.

Teacher-student assigning on the system was one kink officials said still needs to be ironed out.

More information from schools Mr Taylor explained was needed to resolve this problem.

“The need for students to be assigned to the correct classes and teachers to be assigned to the correct classes and some of that is we require more detailed information from schools so that we can properly place student X in class Y with teacher Z….we hope to have that matter resolved in the next week or so,” he said.

RBDF Rangers clearing the roadside in the Coral Harbour Community on October 3.

Photos: Able Seaman Paul Rolle II

RANGERS ON THE CASE THE Royal Bahamas Defence Force Rangers assisted the Coral Harbour community during a clean-up effort recently.

On October 3, the young leaders took the time to trim the edges of the sidewalks and remove unwanted debris from along the main Coral Harbour thoroughfare. They were

assisted by the RBDF Rangers instructors, led by Chief Petty Officer Dwight Rolle.

Accompanying the Rangers was president of Coral Heights East, Kim Deveaux. “Overall, it was a great learning experience for the young Rangers,” said CPO Rolle. “They were excited in grasping the concept of giving

back to the community.”

The RBDF Rangers programme, which is made up of young men and women from various junior and senior high schools throughout the country, received the coveted Ministry of Youth Award for the National Youth Organisation of the Year in 2017.

‘ACT TODAY TO TACKLE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE’ from page one

The founder and president of the local advocacy group, Families of All Murder Victims (FOAM), told The Tribune yesterday the government needs to divert resources to assist victims of domestic violence.

She said with the onset of COVID-19, domestic violence continues to grow, affecting not only women, but also men.

Ms Gibson renewed calls for the creation of a genderbased violence unit at every police station on the island.

The advocate said many times police are the first

point of contact for victims, so it is logical that officers be trained to handle these kinds of incidents.

“I had a gentleman call me. He and his girlfriend were at it and he said it was a heated situation and that he needed me to come and get her,” the FOAM founder told The Tribune yesterday. “I had to call the police and the police sent a patrol car there to him.

“I thank God that he was able to reach out to me instead of it turning into a serious matter.

“Then we have females reaching out to me who are in domestic situations. One called saying the boyfriend was fighting her with the

baby in her hand.

“But their main problem is they have nowhere to go.”

She continued: “On a daily basis I get these calls.

There is only so much an NGO can do and the people don’t want to go to Social Services because of the time it takes when they go there. They come to a home thinking that we are superman or superwoman, but at this time I have to tell people I am so sorry that I have to refer them to Social Services.

“On the police end they might say that it hasn’t risen, but not everything is reported to the police. A lot of the stuff is reported to

NGOs.” Apart from the establishment of gender-based violence units at stations, Ms Gibson is also calling for transportation to remove victims from violent situations, a travel budget in cases of relocation and a COVID-19 testing allowance.

She also wants there to be a budget that allows victims to pay for housing for at least six weeks and for there to be follow-ups and an action plan for victims who have gone to the police.

The plan would actively log the victim’s complaints and fears in the event alleged perpetrators attempt contact, commit further abuses

or make threats.

“There should be a gender-based violence unit at every police station with trained certified officers.

No one reached out to me in reference to that. I guess because it’s coming from me, it don’t make no sense, but if a white woman with blue eyes comes and says it then it’ll make plenty sense.

“This is needed and also Urban Renewal needs to be 24 hours.

“What have we done since the woman and her daughter were killed? Are we going to wait for the next victim?”

Ms Gibson was referring to the murder of Alicia Sawyer, 30, and her

eight-year-old daughter Ednique Wallace in their Nassau Village home more than two weeks ago.

Police suspect the double killing came after a domestic dispute.

“We are lacking support for women who report incidents of domestic violence.

We don’t have anyone to follow-up with victims to ask them if their alleged perpetrator has made contact with them since they reported the incident or whether they feel safe.

“Where is this process?

No, we leave them alone and wait for them to come back complaining that they are still being abused.

“More needs to be done.”

PAGE 4, Friday, October 16, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

Ministry: Some staff may work remotely

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net DIRECTOR of Education Marcellus Taylor said the Ministry of Education has a protocol in place to allow some staff to work remotely where possible in view of COVID-19 concerns, but stressed this is not feasible for every position.

At a press conference at the Ministry of Education’s

headquarters, a concern was brought up about security officers allegedly not being sent home after a potential exposure while teachers and administrators were able to do so.

For cases of COVID-19, Mr Taylor said the ministry has established a protocol that has been agreed by the health professionals as well as persons from the Department of Environmental Health Services. The protocol would be followed

based on whether it’s a suspected case or a positive case.

“Even when there are positive cases, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the entire school has to be shut down,” he said. “So it all depends on the movement of the person, how long they were in the environment, and so forth. So we are guided by the advice that they provide. If they tell us that seven of the classrooms need to be

cleaned and sanitised then we do that. If we have to send people home for a particular period of time then we do that but once that period is over then we ask people to return to work.

“We have also made provisions for some people to work remotely who can work remotely and so in some instances teachers are permitted to work remotely provided they are able to meet certain conditions

and so on to do that. Other workers are unable to work remotely and it’d be very difficult for a security officer or janitor staff to actually do their work remotely.

“Now there may be times where we might say... we don’t need everyone coming and so then we may put them on a rotation so instead of coming five days a week they may come two days a week but we have to secure the schools and that work can only be done with

a security officer being on staff.”

He added the health and safety of security officers will be assured. Mr Taylor explained they will be given personal protective gear and sanitisers, asked to follow protocols in terms of social distancing and their work spaces are maintained in a sanitary manner.

“So, we don’t feel there’s a particular challenge with that,” he said.

treat COVID-19 patients.

The team is a crisischaplaincy ministry of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

“After Hurricane Dorian, we sent more than 100 crisis-trained chaplains to four locations across The Bahamas.

“We consider it a blessing for our chaplains to return to the islands to serve alongside Samaritan’s Purse with the opportunity to share the hope found in Jesus Christ with the doctors, nurses, and the community,” said Josh Holland, assistant director of the RRT. “These coronavirus deployments are

groundbreaking and different than anything we have done before.

“We have deployed to more than 450 natural and man-made disasters, but until this year we had never responded to a health crisis.”

RRT chaplains also served at emergency field hospitals that were set up in Cremona, Italy, New York City, and the Navajo Nation during the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier this week it was announced that Samaritan’s Purse – which offered assistance to Abaco and Grand Bahama in the wake of Hurricane

Dorian – has partnered with the government to provide a 28-bed COVID19 isolation and treatment unit.

The move will help to increase patient capacity as the country tries to deal with the pandemic.

The facility will be tents set up next to Princess Margaret Hospital. It will also serve as a COVID19 referral centre for The Bahamas. It will not include ICU treatment.

No ventilators will be provided nor operated by Samaritan’s Purse.

Samaritan’s Purse will provide the unit and all staffing to operate for three

to six weeks. There will be 30 staff members, including medical professionals and operations staff.

The organisation will also provide infection prevention control training to protect Bahamian healthcare workers. Public health staff will work alongside Samaritan’s Purse. The treatment unit will be donated to the government upon Samaritan’s Purse’s departure. The set-up of the unit is expected to begin by the end of the week.

Samaritan’s Purse is an international, non-denominational, evangelical, Christian disaster relief organisation.

ON A WING AND A PRAYER

SAMARITANS Purse equipment arriving in Nassau.

THE Billy Graham Rapid Response Team is sending chaplains to Nassau

to help with the Samaritan’s Purse emergency field hospital that is being set up to

OVERSEAS SEEKING FINANCIAL HELP ROAD TRAFFIC BAHAMIANS THE Ministry of Foreign resources to accommodate its own merits, the general said Bahamians and maintain persons who policy governing the award CLOSED AFTER Affairs are increasingly approach- find themselves stranded of financial assistance to ing Bahamas embassies because of a lack of funds,” Bahamians in foreign jurisCOVID CASE and consulates overseas a statement from the Minis- dictions is to have a family

THE Road Traffic Department’s national stadium location will be closed today and Monday to allow for cleaning and sanitising after exposure to a COVID-19 case.

According to a statement from the government, services will resume on Tuesday, October 20, at the usual time.

The Road Traffic Department apologises to the public for any inconvenience caused.

requesting financial assistance for COVID-19 testing, quarantine, accommodation and airline ticket changes.

As a result, the ministry advised Bahamians travelling abroad to take sufficient funds with them in the event that they run into additional expenses as a result of COVID-19 restrictions.

“The ministry wishes to advise that our overseas missions do not have sufficient discretionary financial

try of Foreign Affairs said.

“Persons travelling in this COVID environment should anticipate that there will be delays and interruptions in their schedules that may result in them having to remain in these overseas jurisdictions longer that they had intended.

“Bahamians who are in distress should continue to contact the nearest Bahamas overseas mission and it should be reminded that though each request for assistance is considered on

member, or some other individual, deposit with the Consular Division of the ministry an amount equivalent to the amount requested of the overseas mission by the person who, because of unforeseen circumstances resulting from COVID-19 protocols, requires assistance.

“The funds will then be advanced to the individual by the nearest consular office, whose funds will then be reimbursed by the ministry.”

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, October 16, 2020, PAGE 5

JACKIE RUSSELL, president of Rotary Club Grand Bahama, left, presents tablets to students at Sister Mary Patricia Russell School in Grand Bahama.

Rotary gift to help children in studies

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE Rotary Club of Grand Bahama presented some 40 tablets to students at several schools in Grand Bahama this week.

Jackie Russell, president of RCGB, said the group received a generous donation of tablets from the Grand Bahama Power Company on September 20 and decided to present them to students who were really in need of the device.

She thanked GBPC for the donation. “This was timely because schools have reopened using virtual and hybrid models, and some have implemented face-toface learning. Also, during

September Rotary focuses on education and literacy,” she said.

“Rotary is happy to assist because we believe that no child should be deprived of education because they do not have the basic tools, such as notebooks, pencils, or tablets.”

Ms Russell said that tablets were distributed to students at Sunland Baptist Academy, Maurice Moore Primary School, St Georges High, Jack Hayward High, Tabernacle Baptist, Sister Mary Patricia Russell Primary School, and Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Academy.

“It was a pleasure to see the smiles on the students’ faces,” she said, adding that names of the students were

submitted to the club.

“They were very surprised when they received the tablets which will allow them access to online classes and so they could complete their schoolwork,” said Ms Russell.

She noted that one student from Mary Star was excited and grateful. “This student has virtual classes and had to use her father’s phone to do her school work in the morning, and so the tablet was something she really needed. She never expected it and was very happy when we presented her with one,” she said.

Ms Russell said all the students wrote letters of thanks to the Rotary Club for their tablets.

ROTARY Club Grand Bahama donates tablets to students at Sunland Baptist Academy. From left is past president Christine van de Linde, secretary Rosevelt Rolle Jr and president Jackie Russell with students.

TIE A YELLOW RIBBON FOR CHILDREN’S RETURN

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE 30 children of the Grand Bahama Children’s Home will be arriving in Grand Bahama from New Providence on Friday morning.

It has been one year since they were relocated to the Ranfurly Children’s

Home in Nassau following severe damage to the Grand Bahama Children’s Home as a result of Hurricane Dorian.

On October 2, the children were scheduled to return to Freeport. A Yellow Ribbon celebration had been planned, but the trip was suddenly postponed after a member travelling with the delegation tested positive for

COVID-19.

On Friday, Minister of Social Services Frankie Campbell will travel with the children on their return to Freeport. A procession is planned through the streets of Freeport to welcome the children back to the Home, which has been fully renovated at a cost of $850,000.

Residents and businesses along the route have tied

yellow bows on their buildings and trees to welcome the children.

The children will be leavi New Providence at 8.30am, arriving in Freeport at 9.15am. The procession will take the children from the airport to Settler’s Way, and onto Coral Road, then onto East Sunrise Highway, and East Mall, and Pioneer’s Way, and to GBCH.

PAGE 6, Friday, October 16, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

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Great news from Atlantis THIS is a day of good news and bad news, but we’re delighted to start with the good – no, great news that Atlantis is planning to reopen before the end of the year.

There is no better Christmas present that The Bahamas could wish for. If we can get back to bringing in income for the country – and for individual businesses to thrive once more, that is the best remedy we could possibly receive for our economic ills.

The exact date is not locked in – publicly, at least – although the website for Atlantis is taking bookings from December 1. It will be a phased reopening, and while not all employees will be brought back immediately at that stage, more staff will be brought back as booking levels go up.

That may worry some staff, but it was reassuring to hear the president of the resort say that Atlantis “won’t declare any employee redundant” until it has been able to gauge the strength of demand as tourism bounces back.

More than that, president Audrey Oswell stressed that Atlantis wants to be in a position to bring back all 8,000 workers rather than hire replacements and train them from scratch. That makes sense. Atlantis wants the staff that already knows how to do the job so the resort can pick up where it left off.

Now, while Atlantis is doing its part – so must we.

There are hurdles to clear before we get there, and we must do all we can to do so. There is the November 1 reopening.

There is the effectiveness of rapid testing proposals. There is the continued expansion of testing so that we can properly trace contacts. Some of that weighs on the government – but none of it will be successful if the public doesn’t play ball too.

You know what the routine is by now – wear masks, keep your distance, wash your hands, don’t go out and about if you don’t have to.

Follow the rules when it comes to quarantine, and be as helpful as you can

with contact tracers so they can lock down COVID-19 before it can get to anyone else.

How well we do all these things will play a part in how confident Atlantis – and other resorts – can be about reopening.

The numbers of new cases are still very high in New Providence, but encouragingly the numbers elsewhere have been dropping substantially. On some days, if you took the New Providence cases out, there would be zero new cases in The Bahamas. If everywhere else can do it, then so can we. And the sooner we do, the sooner we can all get back to work.

Thank you, Atlantis, for leading the way and offering a little hope and light in these darkest of times. As for the rest of us, let’s kill this virus rather than let this virus kill us.

Empty purse Now for the bad news. That public purse is looking a bit thin.

The revelation that unemployment benefits are being reduced to $100 a week is a sure sign that our pockets are emptying.

Follow the pattern as pointed out by Public Service and National Insurance Board Minister Brensil Rolle as he says “we started (at) $200 a week and it has reduced to $150 and now it’s to $100”.

What happens next? How long before it drops again? How low can it go? How little money will people be left to get by on?

That’s why it’s so crucial that we get back to opening up again. Every day we see numbers of how many have been infected and how many have died from COVID-19, but we don’t see numbers for starvation, or lives lost to depression.

People are getting by as best they can, but they’re getting by on very little.

That purse needs to be filled back up.

And the likes of Atlantis will lead the way in getting us there.

The pop-up food market EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE pop-up market Tin Ferl was created by a group of young Bahamian entrepreneurs who saw the need for the development of a pop up space where local food vendors and artisans can access a space to sell their products. During the interview, chef Jamal Petty a vendor at this location questioned whether or not the food park was shut down on Thursday, October 9, because it was in breach of the COVID-19 regulations as was stated by the Commissioner of the Police, or was it the result of “special interests” whose business interests may be adversely impacted by the presence and growing popularity of this group.

Mr Petty is right in his assessment that there exists in the country individuals who because of their wealth and privilege of being special interests, are in a position to influence policy decisions that can lead to what is alleged to have happened.

I believe there is at times a deliberate attempt via policy decisions to stifle the growth of some businesses in favour of others. I have written before that I suspect that this is a major reason why the business persons at Arawak Cay and Potter’s Cay are treated so flippantly by the powers that be.

What is even more troubling to me is the police force is used to carry out these excessive and arbitrary orders in a manner that seems to be more of a weapon to harm and

intimidate businesses, rather than to enforce the rules.

This in my view undermines public confidence in the police force and in the long run negatively impacts their ability to foster a healthy and trusting relationship with the wider community.

If as was suggested, Tin Ferl was in breach of the COVID-19 orders or some other regulation, why was this just discovered as they have been open throughout this period of emergency?

Given the need to balance the health and economic welfare of the country as highlighted by the Competent Authority, and considering the fact that most fast food restaurants and others will be allowed to operate, does it make sense to close these businesses at the pop up market?

I believe that in a progressive society if there were any defects with licences and/or a breach of the emergency order by these young entrepreneurs, it would be better to allow these individuals to cure the same as oppose to shutting them down. Further, when one considers the amount of culinary specialists currently unemployed throughout The Bahamas, a progressive government would seek to partner with these young persons to create other entrepreneurial pursuits and endeavours.

If it wasn’t so troubling, it would be laughable that the day before the Competent Authority in his address to the House Assembly encouraged young entrepreneurs to be creative during

these weekend lockdowns by writing songs and creating T-shirts for sale, only to witness the following day action taken which stifles the businesses of young persons.

I must note that before the end of the show on Friday it was announced that a statement was released by the relevant authorities advising that Tin Ferl would be allowed to operate on Tuesday, October 13. Notwithstanding this, I urge Mr Petty and his fellow vendors to take this decision with a grain of salt as I suspect it was made to silence the group. I believe that if Mr Petty didn’t appear on this show and make such a strong presentation this decision would not have been taken.

I hope Mr Petty and the alliance of vendors proceed with plans to create some form of a political action committee. I encourage them to reach out to the business persons at Arawak Cay and Potter’s Cay, gym owners, and others who are experiencing similar challenges. I share the view as articulated by Mr Petty that they are in a position to get strong political messages out through their ability to display signs in their businesses, and/or the wearing out T-shirts (the irony), etc.

Sadly, this may be the only way our public policy makers will respect such businesses in the same way they respect foreign investors and the wealthy special interests among us.

TOREZ B HANNA Nassau, October 10, 2020.

Say no to oil EDITOR, The Tribune.

BAHAMAS Petroleum Company is getting ready to launch into the dangerous process of drilling for oil in our seabed, based on an expired Environmental Impact Assessment that is full of inaccuracies and outdated information.

The EIA, a requirement under the new Environmental Planning and Protection Act, clearly ‘expired’ six months ago. If you look at the document, available online, the drilling dates are still listed as February 24, 2020, to April 13, 2020.

The ship listed to do the drilling is still the West Saturn owned by SeaDrill, despite the fact that BPC is now going with ICE Max, owned by a company called Stena instead.

Some parts of the EIA seem to be so old that they were written several years ago and never updated since.

For example, it talks about a “proposed protected area” at Cay Sal Bank near the drill site. In fact, that protected area was made official back in 2015. Nor does it mention two more recently proposed protected areas, also near the drill site.

The truth is that the EIA is a poor study in general, containing tons of incomplete or irrelevant content.

For example, it lists more than 20 Bahamas laws that it says contain some kind of environmental protection rules, but says nothing about the specifics of these rules or how the company plans to

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net comply. What is the point of listing them, then?

Just to take up space one presumes.

It just seems to have been thrown together carelessly some years ago, then wheeled out and lightly revised for submission in February.

With all the extra information stuck in there at random, it seems like the point was to overwhelm the reader and discourage him or her from looking at the details too closely.

“Why do any of these technicalities matter?” you might ask. In fact they matter a great deal.

For example, the original timeline limited them to only three weeks of drilling for a reason.

Offshore drilling is extremely dangerous and the longer it goes on, the greater the danger of a catastrophic spill.

If BPC is now allowed to begin now without a new approved timeline, having failed to replace the expired one, what is to stop the drilling from going on indefinitely? There is no new end date on paper anywhere, as far as the public record is concerned.

As regards the change in ships, the West Saturn carries special equipment aboard which is key to the original safety plan for drilling. Does the new ship carry the same equipment and can it carry out the new safety plan adequately? We just don’t know.

This is particularly worrying due to the troubling safety record of the new company, Stena, which was convicted and fined in 2015 for an incident that killed two workers in Australia.

Stena was also responsible for a near disaster in 2016 when a falling 20-ton steel pipe almost struck an underwater oil well off Canada, which surely would have caused a massive spill.

Have they disclosed any of this to the government?

Was the new ship that will be drilling in Bahamian waters involved in either of these incidents? Again, we just don’t know.

With regard to using pre-2015 information on protected areas, this has allowed BPC to go on making public pronouncements that there are no important marine resources anywhere near the drill site, when this is simply not the case. In fact, it could not be further from the truth. The site is literally surrounded by protected areas and proposed protected areas.

Given the change in schedule, the change in drilling ship and the incorrect information about the protected areas, among other serious flaws, this EIA now out-of-date and must be updated to reflect reality. They must be made to resubmit the document for consideration and approval, or else it would make a mockery of our new Environmental Act. No drilling should be allowed to take place in the interim.

ESSY BOOTLE Nassau, October 13, 2020.

Fight for the environment EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE Bahamas is a beautiful country with clean, pristine waters and white sandy beaches. Tourists comes from all over the world to see for themselves if one can swim in waters that are crystal clear.

Fishing is also a big reason why many boaters cruise through our waters and even enjoy flat fishing, deep-sea fishing, and most of all snorkelling, to see a completely new world underwater. The Beginning Of The End said, “See for yourself, this is truly paradise”.

Having said all of that, our sun sea and sand is our only selling point that attracts tourists and sustains our product, contributing, for the most part to our very existence, because if the tourists stop, the Bahamas will eventually stop.

It’s the only game in town!

Therefore, those of us who want to protect these great assets, would scream at the top of our collective voices, gather all of the people who can see the seriousness of the subject, and tell the powers that be, “we do not want oil drilling in The Bahamas!”

Lord knows we cannot afford anything disastrous happening anymore that would damage our beaches, waters, reefs, and kill our fish.

Grand Bahama cannot forget the damage of an oil spill that cannot be cleaned completely. The horror is real and the after affects are enormous.

Bahamians need to get serious. We must support any initiative that lobbies against oil drilling of any kind.

A GRATEFUL BAHAMIAN Nassau, October 14, 2020.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, October 16, 2020, PAGE 7

Held in custody for bail breach

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net A TEENAGER who violated the conditions of his bail was yesterday remanded into custody for one month.

The 17-year-old was accused of breaking the conditions of the $3,000 bail he was granted by the Magistrate’s Court for a stealing charge in 2019.

The prosecution argued that the youngster was found outside his home after 4pm on Monday, despite the fact that he was on a 9am-4pm curfew.

The accused pleaded guilty during a hearing before Senior Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans yesterday.

The court was told that that day officers on mobile patrol were told that the teenager had violated his bail after the monitoring centre detected he was outside of his home after 4pm. The officers then went to the accused’s location where they told him that he was in breach of his bail conditions and arrested him. In an interview with police at a nearby station, he admitted to the offence.

He was subsequently cautioned and charged.

When given an opportunity to speak during the hearing, the accused told the magistrate that on the day in question he had contacted the monitoring centre and told them that he had an incident at

home and was told by his mother to leave the premises. He claimed persons at the centre told him he could not move without the court’s permission and he added he did not have a ride to take him to his nearest police station.

He said he was afraid to walk there as the island was on a full-day lockdown for the National Heroes Day holiday. The teenager insisted he did not venture far from his home as he went across the street to his friend’s house.

After accepting his plea of guilt, the judge revoked the defendant’s bail and sentenced him to one month in the juvenile section of the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

MAN MUST PAY UP FOR SMASHING WINDOW OF WOMAN WHO SAID NO

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A 27-YEAR-OLD man who threw a rock into a woman’s window when she refused to have sex with him was yesterday ordered to compensate her for her damaged property.

Dwayne Kelly was accused of causing $683.76 worth of damage to a woman’s dresser mirror and colonial window on October 13.

He pleaded guilty to one count of damage during a hearing before Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes yesterday.

The court was told that around 10.30 that night, the complainant was at her mother’s residence on East Street sitting down with Kelly under a tree. The prosecution

said the accused started to beg the woman for sex, but when she refused he became angry. The court was told Kelly then picked up two large rocks and threw them through the complainant’s window which caused damage to her window and bureau.

As a result of the damage, the woman filed an official complaint with police. Kelly was arrested a short time later. In an interview with officers at a nearby station, he admitted to the offence.

When given an opportunity to speak during the hearing, Kelly told the magistrate his actions were not “intentional”.

Still, Magistrate Forbes told him if he knew something he did was going to create a consequence, that fact alone proved his actions were deliberate.

He also asked Kelly why

he would choose to engage in risky activities when he was currently on bail after appealing a murder conviction. He told Kelly next time, he should “think before throwing rocks”.

Magistrate Forbes accepted the accused’s guilty plea and ordered him to compensate the complainant $683.76 for the damage. He warned Kelly if he failed to do so, he would spend two months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

Yesterday, Kelly was also accused of assaulting the woman and violating the curfew after police found him on East Street after 8 o’clock on the night in question.

He denied those charges and his case was adjourned to December 15 for trial.

He was granted $1,000 bail in the interim.

13 CUBANS HELD A TOTAL of 13 Cubans were transported to the capital aboard Defence Force patrol craft HMBS Leon Livingstone Smith after being apprehended by a United States Coast Guard cutter in the southwest Bahamas.

Nine were found on Cay Sal and another four were discovered near Anguilla Cay by USCG Cutter Isaac Mayo.

The Cubans were brought to Nassau late last night, where they were handed over to Immigration Officials for further processing.

$45,000 FINE FOR MARIJUANA DISCOVERY

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A 47-YEAR-OLD man was fined $45,000 when he was found with 46 pounds of marijuana last week.

Police arrested Trevor Munroe after they found two crocus sacks filled with Indian hemp in his vehicle on October 9.

The court was told that officers, acting on information around 12.30pm on the day in question, went to a residence off Bacardi Road.

Upon their arrival, officers searched a silver coloured Nissan Note parked in the yard. During their investigation, they discovered the two sacks, each filled with a quantity of suspected marijuana. Munroe

was subsequently arrested and taken to the Drug Enforcement Unit. In an interview with police there, he admitted to the offence.

During the hearing before Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes, Munroe pleaded guilty. The defendant was represented by attorney Ian Cargill, who told the magistrate his client had no previous convictions or pending matters. He also said that that day, Munroe was doing construction work and went to use the bathroom in some bushes. Mr Cargill said while there, Kelly found the two bags of marijuana which he then put in his car. He said a short time later, Kelly was searched by police.

In response, Magistrate

Forbes said he found it “amazing’’ when he heard stories of how people randomly found drugs and made the decision to place it in their cars or homes.

He said if he were inclined to believe those kinds of explanations, it would suggest that people were taking things that did not belong to them.

He said he found that fact “incredulous”, as the people who removed the items that did not belong to them would eventually get caught by the police or by the persons who had hidden the contraband in the first place.

He accepted Munroe’s guilty plea and fined him $45,000 or 15 months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

PAGE 8, Friday, October 16, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

This sporting life... ain’t all it seems A Comic’s View

By INIGO ‘NAUGHTY’ ZENICAZELAYA

LAST weekend I spent the entire lockdown holiday watching as much sports as I possibly could.

What a bitter sweet experience that turned out to be.

RING ON ONE HAND

On one hand, I was ecstatic as I witnessed my Los Angeles Lakers win their 17th NBA title in 32 trips to the grandest stage in the NBA, the Finals.

I will take it in any way shape or form, NBA Bubble or no NBA Bubble.

Even if I have to deal with delusional annoying LeBron James fans in the process!

Like the old folks say ‘Das small t’ings’

PARTICIPATION TROPHY IN THE OTHER

On the other hand it was bitter sweet, in one fell swoop on a routine play Dak Prescott quarterback

for my Dallas Cowboys ankle shattered in three places in quite grotesque fashion.

I’m still numb over it all and like all Cowboys fans world wide, I’m cautiously optimistic high priced back up Andy Dalton can get the job done, however, he still has to pass the eye test in a full game.

I proceed into this week’s game with baited breath and fingers crossed, Jack Daniels bottle in hand!

In fact if it gets really ugly I have a

PLAN B

Yes, after doing some research recently for my talk show ‘Talking Heads’ (Tuesdays and Wednesdays 5:30pm-7:00pm on Kiss 96 FM brought to you

by John’s Shoes... shameless plug I know), I realised as so many others are now nowadays forced to go through lockdowns due to the global pandemic, the

importance of keeping your mind active and alert.

We must try to avoid boredom and monotony at all costs, they may lead to undetected cases of various forms of mental illness,

which may have tragic end results.

So here are five ways to keep you and your mind active and busy, during this weekend’s unnecessary COVID lockdown.

(Unnecessary lockdown – oops did I type that?)

1. Clear out your wardrobe Dedicate your newfound time and attention to sorting out your clothes, to sorting your clothes items you haven’t worn for six months and co-ordinating clothes into sections so it’s easier to browse in the mornings.

This is a great opportunity to get inspired by new outfits or rediscover some of old favorites.

2. Hone your cooking skills Work on your cooking game during the weekend long coronavirus lockdown, you can try “cheffing” up everything from familyfriendly recipes to baking your own bread to exotic Asian gourmet delights.

To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394

Only if you are serious about your culinary – we don’t need anyone getting the belly!

SOME you win (and Lebron James wins a lot) and some you lose - as Dak Prescott is stretchered off.

3. Read a book It’s time to read that book that’s been sitting on your shelf “rom dat time”.

Or try a best-seller, indulge in a popular literary escape to a different world for a few hours. You’d be surprised how much reading calms and soothes the mind.

4. Write a letter.

Remember how enjoyable it was to receive a letter from someone in the postbox instead of an inbox?

Write letters to friends and family – it will make their day, and Get some decorative stationary and spread the love to a friend or family member.

5. Evening cocktails at home More and more of us are turning to virtual slumber parties on video apps like Houseparty and Zoom so we can keep up with

friends, have a laugh, a glass of wine or three, and make the best of the lockdown.

Why not add your favorite libations put on your Quiz Master’s hat and organise the ultimate no holds barred public quiz.

BONUS 6.Tie-dye It’s the current trend du jour with the fash-pack, so why not join in on the fun.

WEAR GLOVES and have a bit of fun with the entire family, don’t worry too much about it or overthink it they always turn out AWESOME! Until next week be safe during lockdown and hopefully you’ll be a bit more entertained by something other than the useless drivel regurgitated on social media by mindless attention seekers.

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Deadline is October 21st, 2020.

LEADING VACATION RESORT IS SEEKING TO HIRE SALES AN EXECUTIVES • • •

Must be able to generate maximum sales efficiencies, while maintaining or exceeding targeted net sales volume.

Must be able to adopt to state-of-the-art Sales Programs. Also be able to give high quality virtual and face to face presentations to clients.

Must have excellent communication skills and a proven track record in sales productions.

“Great Income Potential”. Interested and qualified candidates must email resumes to

Jacquelyn.Gardiner@vacationclub.com

Deadline is October 21st, 2020.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, October 16, 2020, PAGE 9

Will these 36,000 voices be heard in the argument about oil?

By Diane Phillips

WE are so busy glaring at zeroed in on birds that lay COVID-19 we are about to dying because the heavy, be blindsided by something dark oil on their wings prethat could take a greater vented them from taking toll on The Bahamas for flight. decades to come – a seemThey point to the fact ingly imminent plan to drill that years later, marine life for oil. is still showing up with skin For years, any talk of lesions. drilling for oil felt eons They also point to what away, like a visit from feels like an absence of dreaded in-laws that still transparency. They say had a chance of being profits derived would cancelled. apparently not be going Now, Bahamas Petro- into a sovereign wealth leum Company (BPC) has fund, but to shareholders said it plans to start explor- who purchased their piece atory drilling as soon as of the Bahamian treasDecember. There are those ure on the London Stock who are not convinced it Exchange. will be that soon. Drilling They point out that while for oil is not the world like drilling a ‘You can form is moving hole in drytoward wall to hang your own opinion, renewables, a picture judge for yourself The Baha(though you what you think mas stands could probto risk its ably punch The Bahamas pristine envithe drywall government should ronment for with a #2 do. Should it cancel the sake of pencil). The producing point is, it’s a licence, postpone more enviexpensive. ronmentally a start date? What Whether disastrous would be the cost BPC has the fossil fuels, ability to drill of doing so? Create mocking its this year or a sovereign wealth respect for next is not the environfund just in case?’ the imporment and tant question. comparing The important question is it with Donald Trump’s sugwhether oil drilling should gestion that coal miners go be permitted at all. back to work in the mines.

Those who think not They note that a year point to the risk factors of after the Equinor spill in an oil spill and what one Grand Bahama when the spill could do to The Baha- tops blew off crude oil stormas. They point to the age tanks during Hurricane fact that after the Exxon Dorian flinging 558,000 Valdez spill in Prince Wil- barrels of oil into the pine liam Sound off the coast barrens and surrounding of Alaska, Exxon sent in a waters, a speck of a spill team of 10,000 people over by global standards, and three years to clean up. Yet even with a team actively 20 years later, the fishing engaged, experts say the industry in Alaska was still mess is only 10 percent suffering. They point to the cleaned up. fact that they do not know Finally, they point to the what, if anything, is in it “economic lunacy” of riskfor Bahamians and yet the ing all when the price of oil country is on the brink of has tanked in recent months taking one of the greatest and countries already rich risks it has ever considered. in it can’t find a market at They point to the fact the price they want. that when the Deepwater In the end, they say, the Horizon gushed 134 mil- reasons for drilling make lion gallons of oil covering far less sense than the reathe Gulf Coast in April sons not to.

2010 and impacting the Leave whatever oil there coastlines of 16 states, a is right where it is, they say. spill 18 times greater than You can form your own the Exxon Valdez, it wiped opinion, judge for yourself out a $3.5 billion industry. what you think The BahaTens of thousands of fish mas government should do. washed ashore. TV footage Should it cancel a licence, captured black, oily water postpone a start date? What and brown beaches. Videos would be the cost of doing

BETTING ON ABACO’S FUTURE ON SEPTEMBER 18, the headline and the words in this column reflected the anger and rage many Abaconians felt one year and two weeks after Hurricane Dorian slammed their island. They were mad at the ongoing theft, the lack of attention to security.

They were scared and they were running scared.

An economy based in large part on second homeownership was threatened by those owners being too afraid to come back when supplies they sent for rebuilding were being stolen before they could even be used in reconstruction. One business had been broken into or stolen from six times since January. Since then, and with attention drawn to the subject from many sources including the outspoken and highly productive head of the Abaco Chamber of Commerce Ken Hutton throwing his hands up in the

air, there is a bit of brighter news to report.

More attention is being paid to security though it is far from perfect, according to sources. And there is a significant investment that is giving Abaconians a ray of sunshine - a large shopping centre in Marsh Harbour being built by Sebas Bastian. Said one Abaconian: “At least someone believes in Abaco. It gives you a feeling of hope, that there will be a future for us after all.”

Let’s not forget that an even larger project is on the horizon for a cay just outside Marsh Harbour. With Bahamas-based Sterling Global as a partner, Montage says its $300m resort and residential community on the recently renamed Montage Cay, formerly Matt Lowe’s Cay, will be the jewel in the crown of its global luxury offerings in a setting that is postcard picture perfect.

A MAN scoops leaked oil from the vessel MV Wakashio, belonging to a Japanese company that ran aground near Blue Bay Marine Park off the coast of south-east Mauritius on August 2, 2020. “As soon as you go south of Mauritius, you start smelling the oil. Within a short time you have a headache and, if you are near the coast, you quickly become ill…” so? Create a sovereign wealth fund just in case?

And by the way, what would be the political cost of not doing so?

Recall the referendum of 2013 when Bahamians voted 5-3 against legalizing gaming (an opinion I did not share) and the following year the Christie administration ignored the will of the people, calling the referendum a straw vote.

Voters’ memories may not be as short as leaders hope.

In the following election, the FNM opposition swept to victory in a near wipe-out, winning 35 seats to 4.

How is that relevant to drilling for oil and the people’s will. Check out the petition on Change.org. It is addressed to the Prime Minister of The Bahamas and starts “We are at a pivotal point in Bahamian history. The Bahamas Petroleum Company (BPC) has announced its intention to begin offshore oil drilling

in our pristine waters in a matter of months. Prime Minister Hubert Minnis has one last chance to protect our nation’s economy and precious natural resources from the devastating ravages of oil pollution before it is too late.”

Here, among the words of warning on the petition started by a group calling itself Our Islands, Our Future: “It is clear that neither BPC or The Bahamas government could fund the level of

emergency response and cleanup needed to mitigate a large-scale disaster.

The Deepwater Horizon spill cost $65 billion – more than five times the GDP of the Bahamas.

Were such a disaster to take place it would pose an existential threat to The Bahamas, directly threatening the livelihoods of the vast majority of Bahamians.”

As of this writing, more than 36,600 people have signed that petition.

PAGE 10, Friday, October 16, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

Private Funeral Service

Join the Live link https://www.facebook.com/ClicStudioPlus/live/

PATRIARCH LEON RENWARD HUTCHINSON, 84 of Hillview Court, Highland Park and formerly of Nicholl’s Town, Andros, who died on October 3rd, 2020, will be held on Friday, October 16th, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. at the Western Cemetery, Nassau Street. Officiating will be Rev. T.G. Morrison, assisted by Reverend Anthony A. Sampson and Reverend Ulric V. Smith II. Interment will follow thereafter.

Leon found personal joy and happiness with Verlyn Scavella, his loving and devoted partner and friend for over twenty years. He is survived by his Children: Camille, Claudine, Leslie and Cecile; Grandchildren: Sean, Tiana, Joshua, Hannah, Elliot and Aleah; Great-Grandchildren: Te’Sean, Taliah and Sabali; Sisters: Delcina Evans and Norma Hutchinson; Sister-in-Law: Vernell Hutchinson (the late Errol); Brothers-in-law: Van Fowler (the late Icelyn) and Soloman Roberts (the late Joyce); Son-in-Law: Garnett; Daughter-in-Law: Arlene; Adopted Sisters: Brenda Ingraham, Barbara Smith, Gloria Sweeting, Madlyn Oliver, Wendy Kemp, Paulette Davis, Ingrid Barlett; Adopted Brothers: Eldridge I, Ancil, Dale and Larry Davis and the extended Davis family; Children of Adopted Sister, the late Mizpah Lightbourne: Dr. Jerome Lightbourne, Tim, Brent, Bradley and Maurice Lightbourne, Chrystal, Tina and Hope Lightbourne, Thalia Campbell (Sam); Nephews: Kenneth and Joe Hutchinson, Ivan Conyers, Thomas Edson Watson, Errol Hutchinson Jr., Brent Munnings, John Fowler, Dennis Hutchinson, Solomon, Trevor and Nicholan Roberts, John, Neville, Nelson and Standford Hutchinson, Livingston Evans, Erskine, Cardinal, Davie, Maxwell and Elvie Woods, Van Hutchinson and Trevor Grant, Jeremy, and Marvin Hutchinson; Nieces: Clara Evans, Brenda Nesbit, Christine Burrows, Thalia Conyers, Barbara Sweeting, Berris Barr, Janice Pickstock, Bridgette Roberts, Ingrid Scott, Carlise Evans, Donna Gibbs, Bergie Jones, Natalie Ramsey, Leverne Hepburn, Patricia Ebanks, Tasha Munnings, Sharmaine Smith, Joyanne Mackey, Ronny, Neketha and Leotha Roberts; Erica, Hopiel, Tonia, Rita and Vanrea Hutchinson, Vendella Bowe, Karen Stubbs, Ruby, Rochelle, and Phenice Morley and Caphy Smith-Woods, Letitia Fowler, Marcia Seymour; Grand Nephews: Cyril Peet, Leroy, Donald, Nathan, Rovan and Gregory Jones, Mario McPhee, Rovan Humes, Julius, Quincy and Akeem Marshall, Rio, Alpacino and Keno Nesbitt, Ivan Conyers, Burton Conyers, Maurice Smith, Davonte Conyers, Max Cartwright, Keino Pickstock, Tekio Pickstock, Insp.

1227 Ryan Russell (RBPF), Frank Hanna III, Bj and Dexter Gaitor, Arvin, Jason, Shannon and Achara Wallace, Lucian Bullard, Dennis and Eric. Valdez Darville, Kevan and Kamal Scott, Jamaal Barnette, Jen Russell Jr, Brian and Randy Foulkes, Niketo Brown, C-Jay, Hon. Carlton Bowleg Jr. M.P., Otis, Rylan, Ronaldo, DaVante and Dr. Mico Bowleg, Fontaine and Da’mone Riley, Chavo Ferguson, Tito Treco, Tyler Russell and Turan Pratt, Ethan Munnings, John, Erin and Trae Fowler, Blake Farquharson, Darius and Urias Seymour II, Gerrad and Jordan Roberts, Vaughn, Sheriek, Nelson, Bjon, Ziv, Kai’Jai, Omari, Regan, Perez, Dervin, Danesio and Tremayne Peet, Dervin and Tyson Stubbs, Niketo Brown, C-Jay Charles, Amare and Jahmeer Major, Trevon and Trevor Grant Jr., Quamell and CJ, Obrian, Mario McPhee; Grand Nieces: Patrice Marshall, Ingrid, Yvette, Tamara and Takara Nesbitt, Deann and Kim Conyers, Shavonne and Latoya Neely, Chara and Cherie Burrows, Dr. Gertrude Holder, Nicole Holder, Nedra Sturrup, Nadia Ebanks, Avis Russell, Janelle Donaldson, Monalisa Lubin, Edvernique Watson, Ellarese Williams, Fredericka Rolle, Indira Wallace, Keisha Hanna, Janae Head, Christina Riley and Rodrese Bowe, Davronette Henson, Ania, Thalia and Teniqua, Sheva Nixon, Ursula and Nadia Jones, Candy McPhee and Cindy Cox, Darika (Tenia) Curry, Temra and Tenell Ebanks, Tajah Rolle, Madra Higgins, Robyn, Ashley, PO4167 Asheran Newton (RBPF) and Deastie Roberts, Alecia and Shavonne, Raven, Brenell, Achante and Shenia Roberts, Chiketra, Danielle, Tessa and Peyton Roberts, Hannah Carroll, Sierra and Chelsi Fowler, Zoe Fowler, Dymynd Seymour, Lisa Delarosa, Julie Gay Bowleg, Dr. Alexia Bowleg and Valorie Forbes, Kristonette Lewis, Davronette Henson, Jillian, Dekoya and Whitney Morley, Ania Major, Sade and Leashja Grant, Vanisha and Shadonicka Hutchinson, Tazel and Talisha, Golden and Chante, Alora, and many great grand and great-great grand nieces and nephews; Cousins: Nurse Nela Dames, Reginald Dames and the Dames family of Nicholl’s Town including: Whitney, Gregory, Wadley, Francis, Tyrone and Rev. Leslie Woodside of Grand Bahama, Clarinda Williams, Alva Knowles, Lillian McNeil, Thomas Evans, Q.C. (Carolyn), Justice Gus Evans (Patrice), Dr. Harris Evans (Rev. Barbara), Anthony (Shandy), Derry and Maisie Evans and the Evans family of Nicholl’s Town including former Member of Parliament Mr. Tommy Turnquest and family, Dr. Duane Sands, M.P. and family, Verdant Scott and family, Cardinal Scott and family, and the extended Scott family of Nicholl’s Town and Lowe Sound, Andros including Chandrice Scott-Orebanwo and family of Australia, Rev. Whitfield R. Hutcheson (Bernadette) and family, Oliver Lloyd Hutchinson (Lillian), and family, Andre (the late Sally) Hutchinson and family, and the Hutcheson/Hutchinson family of Andros, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States, Canada and Jamaica, including Sharon Hutchinson Sawyer and family, Karen Hutchinson Pannell and family, Antwann Hutchinson and family, Alma Hutcheson Adams and family, Sgt Nathan Rolle Sr. (RBPF) and many more, Anne Russell Lightbourne and family including Yvette Gaitor Treco (Jeremy Lavender) and family of Scotland, Judith Rahming (Ben) and family, Iris and Peter Russell and the Russell family of Nicholl’s Town, Eddi Francis, Naomi Brown, Edson Francis, Marina Coakley, Wyatt Johnson; the Cartwright family of Long Island, Perry Gladstone Christie PC, MP and the Christie family of Nicholl’s Town, Gayle Nairn and the Nairn family of Nicholl’s Town, the Treco, Rahming, Sands, Rolle, Fowler, Storr, Coleby, Marshall, Smith, Peet, Roker, Campbell, Lightbourne, Miller, Woodside, Roberts, and Bowleg families of Nicholl’s Town, including Rev’d Etienne and Cherece Bowleg and family, Canon Warren and Thelma Rolle and family, the Richardson, Walker, Moss, Neely and Blatch families of New Providence and Eleuthera; Other Family and Friends: Noel Daley and family, Joshua Sears and family, Dr. Theodore Ferguson and family, Mrs. Cleomi Lightbourne and family, Edsel Strachan and family, Herbert Coakley and Family, David Taylor and family, Cyntia Khan and family, Sir Arthur Alexander Foulkes, GCMG and Lady Foulkes and family; Huedley Moss and family; Lionel F. Evans Sr. and Family, Bradley Flowers and family, Ricardo Rolle and family, Winston Symonette and family, Ednel Rolle and family, Dwayne Woods, Mrs. Pachley Forbes, Lydia Bullard and family, Azeletta Newry and family, Jerome Scott, Bishop Denzil Rolle, Ayla Isaacs and family, Bennet Minnis, former Senator Trevar Whylly, Wyome Huyler, Cynthia Wells, Mr. Obie Ferguson and family, Terrence Gibson and family, Pastor T. G. Morrison and the Zion Baptist Church family and friends too numerous to mention, Fr. Humes of St. Margaret’s Parish Church, Members of the St. Margaret’s Parish ACM, Fr. Vibert Stephens of St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cathedral, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgetown, Dr. Cynthia Wiggins of Barbados, the Bullard, Cash, Newry, Finlayson, and Adderley families of Hillview Court, the Mason family of Nassau East, Members of the Nicholl’s Town Association, Management and Staff of the Water and Sewerage Corporation, former co-workers of the former Bahamas Electricity Corporation, Management and Staff of St. Anne’s School and the entire Anglican Church Community, Morehouse Bahamas Association. With sincere gratitude the family would like to thank his Caregivers: Dr. Gertrude Holder, Dr. Kandis Bannister, Dr. Gomez and Dr. Theodore Ferguson, Nurse Darika Curry and Valerie Saunders.

Friends may pay their last respects at the cemetery from 10:00 a.m. on Friday until service time.

#183 Baillou Hill Road & Cordeaux Avenue, P.O. Box CB-12248, Nassau, Bahamas Telephone: (242) 323-EAST (3278), 326-4209 Email: eastsunrise@batelnet.bs

EUROPEAN Commission's Head of Task Force for Relations with the United Kingdom Michel Barnier leaves after addressing a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels yesterday. European Union leaders met in person for the first day of a two-day summit, amid the worsening coronavirus pandemic, to discuss topics ranging from Brexit to climate and relations with Africa.

Photo: Yves Herman/AP

Brexit trade talks: both EU and UK dig in heels BRUSSELS Associated Press WITH both sides digging in their heels as another Brexit deadline passed yesterday, the European Union and Britain demanded concessions from one another in talks on a basic trade deal that would soften the economic blow of the coronavirus pandemic for all.

The EU leaders meeting in a summit on the day British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had set as a potential cutoff point for the acrimonious negotiations said in a joint statement it was now up to “the UK to make the necessary moves to make an agreement possible”.

London immediately took this as belligerent bluster and UK chief negotiator David Frost said he was surprised by the “suggestion that to get an agreement all future moves must come (the) UK. It’s an unusual approach to conducting a negotiation”.

With negotiating teams ready to continue to seek a deal which could still come into effect when a Brexit divorce transition period ends on Jan 1, all eyes turned to London where Johnson was bound to announce his next move today.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the veteran diplomat, immediately sought to soothe tempers and said that “we asked Britain to be willing to compromise. This of course means that we too have to make compromises.”

European Union chief negotiator Michel Barnier said “the negotiations aren’t over”, adding that his team would be London-bound for more talks next week and planned to host negotiations in Brussels the week after that.

He also insisted that EU negotiators “are prepared to speed up negotiations”, countering Frost who said in a Tweet: “Surprised EU is no longer committed to

EU LEADERS DIVIDED OVER NEW CLIMATE GOALS FOR 2030 BRUSSELS Associated Press

EUROPEAN Union leaders agreed yesterday they need to raise their climate ambition above the existing target but stopped short of endorsing a proposal to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% compared to 1990 levels.

Leaders discussed the proposal from the bloc’s executive arm on the first day of an EU summit in Brussels, and came to the conclusion that the updated goal should be achieved “collectively” to take into account the different energy mixes

working ‘intensively’ to reach a future partnership.”

Johnson had set the first day of the EU summit yesterday as the deadline to get a trade and security deal to replace Britain’s EU membership that expired on Jan 31.

Instead of unfettered trade among EU member, a no-deal would leave both sides facing tariffs, custom duties and major regulatory burdens at a time when the pandemic has already created the worst economic crisis in decades.

“With COVID-19 having such a devastating impact on society and on the economies in the United Kingdom and across Europe, obviously I think leaders will not want to hit citizens with a shock in terms of what a no-deal would represent, a significant additional shock to our respective societies and economies,” Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said.

Knowing the chances of a deal are slimmer by the day, the EU leaders also urged all in the bloc to “step up their work on preparedness and readiness at all levels and for all outcomes, including that of no agreement”.

Beyond the call for speed, the leaders flaunted their unity at the summit, something Britain has failed to dent during years of talks on the withdrawal conditions and now on a bare trade deal with the new non-member.

Ahead of Britain’s angry retort to the summit conclusions, few doubted that Johnson will lean toward continuing the talks for a few more weeks. Dutch Prime Minister was still confident.

“Negotiations are going on and I take it they will continue. I have not heard there would be a problem.”

All sides agree though that the negotiations remain in a deep rut over differences on the issues of state aid, common

standards of regulation and fishing rights.

Overall, the EU says Britain is trying to retain the advantages of EU membership without the commitment to play by the bloc’s rules. Britain says it is baffled it can’t get a quick deal with generous free trade concessions like Canada got a few years ago.

But EU nations like France want the access of UK companies to the EU market to be very strict because of the nation’s sheer proximity and the similarity in goods and service that are traded. They want to make sure British firms won’t be able to undercut their continental rivals with weaker environmental and social regulation and excessive state subsidies.

France is viewed, especially by Britain, as one of the nations most unwilling to compromise, especially on the issue of French boats’ access to British fishing waters.

“Under any circumstance, our fishermen should not be sacrificed for Brexit,” French President Emmanuel Macron said.

Since last month, the member states have also become ardent in demanding legal guarantees on governance of any deal after Johnson introduced legislation in September that breaches the Brexit withdrawal agreement he himself signed with the EU only last year.

It left trust in the Johnson government shattered, and the European Parliament, which must approve any deal, has vowed not to approve any trade deal if the UK government doesn’t withdraw this legislation.

Britain says it will keep the legislation, with the option to use it if necessary.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo was in two minds. “It would be crazy not to have a deal, but it would be even more crazy to have a bad deal,” he said.

of member states.

According to the meeting’s conclusions, leaders will try to find a consensus during another meeting to be held in December, ahead of the adoption of the first-ever European climate law.

“All Member States will participate in this effort, taking into account national circumstances and considerations of fairness and solidarity,” the conclusions read.

The text was sufficiently vague to find a consensus and could open the door to tailormade arrangements capable of clinching the approval of all 27 member states.

While the European Parliament pushes for an even greater 60% reduction in emissions, eastern EU countries that depend on coal for much of their energy needs are less enthusiastic. They worry about the social, environmental and economic costs of the transition to a

greener economy. Poland last year did not commit to the EU’s 2050 climate neutrality goal and has asked for more details about the measures.

Speaking upon arrival at the summit, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis pleaded in favor of a collective target, saying that his country could not reach it alone.

“I think every country has a different energy mix, and we have to take it into consideration,” he said. “If we agree on 55% average in the EU, the Czech Republic (does not) have any problem.”

In proposing a reduction of at least 55%, compared with the current target of a 40% reduction by 2030, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen predicted in September that the new target would be “too much for some and not enough for others”.

SPORTS PAGE 11

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2020

Rodgers stays put to launch new gym RONN Rodgers putting the finishing touches to his new gym.

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WITH his relocation to Tampa, Florida, thwarted because of the coronavirus pandemic, Strikers Boxing Club’s coach Ronn Rodgers has decided to set up a new local boxing gym.

Aptly named the Strikers Covid Edition, the new gym is outdoors in Marshall Road South. He’s expected to have it completed by next week with all the painting and equipment placed in it.

But Rodgers said he’s waiting on the approval from Prime Minister Hubert Minnis on the

RONN RODGERS reopening of beaches, parks and recreational areas before he officially opens its doors.

Rodgers, who was last located at the former Champion Boxing Club, owned

by Ray Minus Jr, on Wulff Road, said after watching

the number of cases soar in Florida, he opted not to take up the offer to coach the club in Tampa.

“When I was over there recently negotiating for a fight, one of the fighters came down with Covid19,” Rodgers pointed out.

“They ended up canceling the entire event, so I told myself that this doesn’t make any sense, so we decided to stay.

“The job offer is still on the table. They called me last week. They still want me to come over. In fact. They want me to come over next month, but I don’t think I will make that move. I will entertain them, but I think I’m going to stay here for now.”

With Minus Jr’s gym closed and being relocated to his home further down on Wulff Road east, and the National Boxing Gym at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex as the only venue open, Rodgers said there’s a need for him to get his gym underway, even though it’s outside of the average grass root boxer.

“There’s a need for boxing gyms to open up in the country right now,” Rodgers stated. “The Bahamas Boxing Commission called me the other day concerned about it, so I decided to stay.”

Compared to his previous locations, including the Carmichael Road Shopping

Center where Rodgers attracted a number of boxers as well as fitness enthusiasts, he noted that this new location will provide all of the amenities needed to enhance a proper training programme for the boxers.

“It’s going to be outdoors with a cover, but we have ample running space in the yard,” he pointed out. “In the city, there was no room to run, but here, we have all the space that they need to run and train.

“I know it’s going to affect some of the boxers that I worked with in the past, but I realize that there’s always an opportunity for boxers because

since I’ve started building this one, I’ve had a number of kids coming around asking if they can join.”

With the new gym located in close proximity to the Anatol Rodgers Secondary High School, Rodgers said he intended to tap into the idle young men to get them involved in the Strikers Covid Edition.

“I was advertising it to some of my members and I told them since this is going to be here for a while, I wanted to name it after the coronavirus pandemic.

I thought it was a catchy name. Hopefully it will catch on and grow with the boxers who come out and participate.”

WINNING STARTS FOR PORTUGAL PAIR

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

BOTH Bahamian pro basketball players in Portugal’s Liga Portuguesa de Basquetebol (LPB) got off to winning starts in their 2020 regular season debuts.

Travis Munnings and Jonathan Augustin-Fairell were both among the leading scorers for their respective clubs in the top tier league in the country.

Munnings finished with 11 points, six rebounds and three assists to help UD Oliveirense to a 73-53 win over Ovarense on the road.

Munnings and the frontcourt helped outrebound their opponents 47-24, including a 21-7 advantage on the offensive boards.

Oliveirense is the two

TRAVIS MUNNINGS time defending champion and Munnings joined their quest for a third consecutive title after last season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

They return to the court October 17 when they host Galitos-Barreiro.

Augustin-Fairell scored a team high 15 points and grabbed six rebounds to

lead FC Porto to a 62-55 win over Academica. He shot 7-10 from the field and also added two steals.

They also return to the court October 17 when they face Vitoria SC. Munnings concluded last season with La Rochelle Stade Rochelais of France’s NM1 League. He averaged 17.5 points, eight rebounds and 3.8 assists per game through six games.

“My expectations are very simple, make everyone remember me as one of the hardest players. I know and understand that Oliveirense Basquetebol has a great coaching staff as well hungry players that are skilled on many levels,” Munnigs said, “I also know that the support from the community is a huge factor

JONATHAN AUGUSTIN-FAIRELL in the team’s success and you have to appreciate such gems like that.”

Augustin-Fairell is in his fifth season of professional basketball and has now played in five countries Austria, France, Belgium and most recently, Argentina. He began last season with Basic-Fit Brussels in Belgium’s Euromillions

League, where in 14 games he averaged 20.7 minutes, 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. He then concluded the season with Obras in Argentina’s La Liga where he played just five games before the season was abruptly ended due to COVID-19. He averaged 10.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

RULING COULD EXTEND ELIGIBILITY FOR STUDENT ATHLETES

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE NCAA’s Division I Council made a major announcement that could extend the eligibility of several Bahamian studentathletes that compete in the organisation’s winter sports.

Winter sports include

basketball, gymnastics, swimming and diving, indoor track and field, ice hockey, and wrestling.

The council voted that student athletes who compete during 2020-21 in Division I will receive both an additional season of competition and an additional year in which to complete it. It now gives

athletes an opportunity for an additional season to play “five years in a six year span”, rather than the traditional “four years in a five year span” scenario.

“The pandemic will continue to impact winter sport seasons in ways we can’t predict. Council members opted to provide for winter sport student-athletes the

same flexibility given spring and fall sports previously,” said Council chair M. Grace Calhoun, athletics director at Pennsylvania. “The actions today ensure the continuation of local decision-making in the best interest of each institution and its student-athletes.”

In March, the Division I Council previously allowed

programmes to extend an additional season of competition and eligibility to participants in spring sports.

Spring sports affected in the decision include baseball, softball, tennis, golf, track and field (outdoor) lacrosse, rowing, men’s volleyball, beach volleyball and women’s water polo.

It will also allow for

roster expansion through increased scholarship limits for baseball, the only spring sport with such a limit.

The decision to play fall sports have varied across conferences, however, irrespective of the conference decision, the year will not count toward an athlete’s eligibility for their NCAA career.

PAGE 12, Friday, October 16, 2020

THE TRIBUNE ATLANTA Braves’ Cristian Pache celebrates his RBI-single against the Los Angeles Dodgers last night.

Photo: Eric Gay/AP

One win away ARLINGTON, Texas Associated Press

MARCELL Ozuna homered twice, MVP candidate Freddie Freeman delivered the go-ahead hit off Clayton Kershaw and the Atlanta Braves moved within one win of ending a two-decade World Series drought by routing the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-2 on Thursday night.

The Braves took a 3-1 lead in the NL Championship Series, bouncing back from getting pounded 15-3 the previous night.

Atlanta will try to reach its first World Series since 1999 when it plays Game 5 Friday night.

“Feels good, feels really good,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “Still have a lot of work to do, you know how quick things can turn. I was really proud of the guys, how they bounced back.”

Dustin May, the 23-yearold Texan who has thrown 4 2-3 scoreless innings in three appearances this postseason, will start for the Dodgers with them facing potential elimination.

Atlanta will likely go with a bullpen day.

Ozuna had four hits and drove in four runs. It was 1-all in the sixth when the Braves scored six times, with Freeman hitting a tiebreaking double and Ozuna following with an RBI double that chased Kershaw.

A night after the Dodgers had a record 11-run first, they managed only one hit — a solo homer

ATLANTA Braves’ Marcell Ozuna celebrates after a home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

by Edwin Ríos — over six play that ended with him, awkwardly on his left wrist innings against 22-year-old Kershaw and second base- that was irritated twice rookie right-hander Bryse man Kiké Hernández all during the regular season.

Wilson in his postseason on the ground. They all Acuña went to second base took tumbles because of because of the errant throw debut.

“He was in complete con- their effort, and weren't after being tended to for trol. ... He had a really good knocked down by the several moments. bothersome After trying glasses in the look about him. He had sometimes good tempo, and the stuff breezy conditions in the field and getting eyedrops was live,” Snitker said. “It new Texas ballpark with early in the game, Freeman apparently had no problems was huge, a huge effort by the roof open.

Kershaw fell down after seeing when he doubled him.”

While the Braves’ out- coming off the mound home Acuña for a 2-1 lead burst also lasted more than while reaching up to try before Ozuna followed with a half-hour but without as to field the high-chopper. another double. Reliever many runs as LA's a day Hernández went to the Brusdar Graterol got the earlier, it was more than ground after grabbing the first out before giving up big enough enough after ball and making a sidearm three consecutive hits, Ronald Acuña Jr led off throw then went wide while including Dansby Swanthe decisive six-run sixth Acuña tumbled after pass- son's two-run double and with an infield single on a ing the base and landed Austin Riley's RBI single.

Photo: Tony Gutierrez/AP Rookie center fielder Cristian Pache capped the inning with an RBI single made it 7-1.

“They're similar to us as far as they build on momentum really well,” Kershaw said. “It just seems like they have that domino effect when one thing gets going.

They just continue to build on that. And they've got great hitters, too.”

Freeman and Ozuna each added RBI singles in the eighth.

Atlanta had gotten even 1-1 in the fourth when Ozuna turned an 86-mph slider from Kershaw into a 109-mph rocket that

went 422 feet to left for his second postseason homer.

Ozuna went even deeper in the seventh, a 434foot shot to straight away center.

Wilson became the thirdyoungest pitcher to allow one or no hits over at least six innings in a postseason game. The right-hander struck out five and walked one, starting with a 1-2-3 first on ten pitches and throwing his last pitch before Kershaw, scratched from his scheduled start in Game 2 two days earlier because of back spams, struck out four, walked one and allowed four runs on seven hits in five-plus innings. The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner is now 11-12 with 4.31 ERA in postseason, as opposed to his 175-76 record and 2.43 ERA in the regular season during his 13 years in the big leagues.

Ríos, batting seventh and the fourth left-hander in a row in the Dodgers starting lineup against Wilson, homered to right leading off the third. The ball landed on the tarp covering the first several rows of seats closest to the field, and separating fans sitting in socially distanced pods of up to four people beyond that.

After being left off the NL Division Series roster because of a groin injury, and not playing in the NLCS opener, Ríos homered when starting the last two games. He had one of the Dodgers' postseason record five on Wednesday night.

KERSHAW FALTERS AGAIN IN PLAYOFFS

ARLINGTON, Texas Associated Press

CLAYTON Kershaw can’t shake his postseason curse, not even in a neutral-site NL Championship Series a few miles from his hometown.

The longtime ace of the Dodgers faltered at the start of the sixth inning against Atlanta, allowing three straight hits before watching the rest of a sixrun outburst in the Braves’ 10-2 win in Game 4 on Thursday night.

Kershaw’s franchisehigh 12th postseason loss put Los Angeles down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series at the home of the Texas Rangers, on the brink of a second straight defeat in the NLCS after posting the best record in the majors during the pandemic-shortened season.

The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner — pitching two days after he was scratched from a Game

2 start because of back spasms — allowed four runs in five-plus innings, boosting his career playoff ERA to 4.31.

While Kershaw is also the club’s career leader in postseason wins with his 11-12 record, his October resume simply doesn’t match his stellar regular-season numbers: 175-76 with a 2.43 ERA. In LA’s seven trips to the NLCS over Kershaw’s 13 seasons, the Dallas native is 3-6 with a 4.84 ERA. And now he’s been outpitched by a rookie making his postseason debut: Atlanta’s 22-year-old Game 4 winner, Bryse Wilson.

Kershaw was handed a 1-0 lead on Edwin Ríos’ homer in the third, but gave it up on Marcell Ozuna’s solo shot in the fourth, the first of two for Ozuna.

In the sixth, Ronald Acuña Jr.’s high chopper eluded the glove of a leaping Kershaw behind the mound for an infield single.

Freddie Freeman and Ozuna followed with consecutive RBI doubles, and Kershaw was done in Los Angeles’ third loss in four games since winning its first five in the playoffs.

Kershaw had never pitched near his Dallas home before doing so twice in a week and a half in this unusual postseason, first without fans in an NL Division Series sweep of San Diego and then a pandemic-reduced crowd in the NLCS. The eight-time All-Star recorded his 11th postseason win in the Dodgers’ 6-5 victory in Game 2 of the NLDS, but he was far from dominant. Manny Machado and Eric Hosmer hit backto-back homers to cut into a 4-1 deficit.

If the Hall of Fame is in his future, Kershaw won’t be alone among star pitchers who struggled in the playoffs.

Greg Maddux was 11-14 in the playoffs, most of

those decisions when Atlanta won just one World Series during a run of 14 straight NL East titles.

Randy Johnson was 7-9, and fellow lefty Steve Carlton just 6-6.

Another lefty, David Price, was 2-9 before winning his final three decisions for Boston when the Red Sox won the World Series two years ago.

Each of those has at least one title, though. Kershaw still doesn’t have one despite the club record in playoff starts (28) and innings (177 1/3).

Kershaw now has 11 career postseason starts of allowing at least four runs, tied with Maddux for the second-most. Only Andy Pettitte, another lefty, has more.

Ozuna’s first homer in Game 4 was the 27th Kershaw has allowed in the playoffs, breaking a tie with Justin Verlander for second-most, also behind Pettitte (31).

LOS Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw sits in the dugout after leaving the game during the sixth inning.

THE TRIBUNE

PITT-IFUL: BROWNS TRY TO END 16-GAME LOSING STREAK AT HEINZ

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — The Browns have been pitiful in Pittsburgh — for half a century.

Whether playing in old Three Rivers Stadium or at Heinz Field, with its tricky winds and rowdy, towel-twirling fans, most of Cleveland’s trips down the Turnpike and across the Pennsylvania state line over the past five decades have not ended well.

The Browns are 6-41 in visits to the Steel City since 1970.

That haunted history of failure isn’t scaring Baker Mayfield.

“We are not worried about the past,” said the Browns quarterback, who is dealing with bruised ribs.

“We are worried about right now.”

Off to their best start in 26 years, the Browns (4-1) carry a 16-game losing streak into Pittsburgh for Sunday’s matchup against the unbeaten Steelers (4-0), who will be seeing sensational defensive end Myles Garrett in person for the first time since he clobbered quarterback Mason Rudolph over the head with a swung helmet last November. Garrett’s appearance only adds spice to a rivalry not needing any extra salt. Although it’s been lopsided for a while, there’s plenty of history and bad blood between the cities and their fans.

The Browns are one of the NFL’s surprise teams this season. The Steelers are, well, the Steelers.

They’re 4-0 for the first time since 1979.

Career Although he’s an absurd 23-2-1 in his career against Cleveland, Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger knows better than to overlook the Browns.

“A lot of those guys — I looked at their roster today, they only have two guys that have 10 years of experience in the league,” Roethlisberger said. “It’s not like these guys have been playing us for years and years and years and worrying about how many times the Steelers have won.

“That’s not what it’s about. It’s a new season, new teams, and they’re a really good football team.”

This will be the first taste of Browns-Steelers for tight end Austin Hooper after coming to Cleveland from Atlanta, where he experienced another of the NFL’s nastier rivalries.

“Falcons-Saints,” he said. “That would be a good one. You get all the fans in New Orleans fresh off Bourbon Street in there.”

Of course, there will be only 5,500 fans — and not the usual 68,000 — on hand on Sunday because of COVID-19 restrictions, and Browns coach Kevin Stefanski wasn’t sure if that would benefit Garrett and his teammates.

“It is hard for me to say,” he said. “I do know this: in our building, I heard all 12,000 of them.”

The Browns’ long losing skid at Heinz extends back to 2003, when quarterback Tim Couch had one of his finest moments in an orange helmet while leading Cleveland to a 33-13 win. It’s been putrid in Pittsburgh since as the Browns have dropped 16 straight and gone 2-18 overall in their archrival’s hostile home since returning as an expansion team in 1999.

Surprisingly, one of that awful Cleveland team’s two wins that season was a last-second, 16-15 victory at Pittsburgh.

They’ve had plenty of close calls, with three of Cleveland’s past five losses at Heinz coming by four points or fewer. There could be plenty of reasons why the Browns have struggled in Pittsburgh, but Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio said there’s a basic bottom line.

“No. 1 is that they are a good team,” Bitonio said.

“They have good players, they have a great defence, Big Ben and company on offence. And it is just a different atmosphere. You go down there and the fans do a good job of getting loud.

It is kind of on the river right there, you get the wind coming in.”

Friday, October 16, 2020, PAGE 13

JETS’ ADAM GASE: BACK IN MIAMI AND AGAIN ON THE HOT SEAT

By STEVEN WINE AP Sports Writer

MIAMI (AP) — The season is trending so badly for Adam Gase that he might hear boos Sunday.

The New York Jets coach has been spared at home games because his winless team isn’t admitting fans during the coronavirus pandemic. But the Jets play Sunday at Miami, which is allowing crowds of up to 13,000. A sizable percentage will likely be disgruntled New York fans, and some Dolphins rooters might boo Gase too, just for old times’ sake.

He was fired by Miami owner Stephen Ross in 2018 after going 23-26 in three seasons. Gase was quickly hired by the Jets, and he’s on the hot seat again thanks to an 0-5 start, the team’s worst since 1996.

Gase’s successor in Miami, Brian Flores, is by contrast riding high thanks to a blowout victory last week at San Francisco that he ranked as his best win yet.

The Dolphins are 2-3 and have a chance to reach .500 for the first time in the Flores era.

SEEKING A TURNAROUND Gase said he’s mindful of his first season as an NFL head coach, when the 2016 Dolphins started 1-4 and rebounded to finish 11-6. That remains Miami’s only playoff team since 2008.

“Short-term focus and not looking too far ahead were big reasons for us to be about to turn things around,” Gase said. “That applies to what we’re going through right now. It’s not easy. It’s a test of can you handle adversity, and how you stick together.”

The Dolphins are favoured for the first time this season, and facing a winless team creates a new kind of challenge for Flores.

“Every team has good players,” Flores said. “If you walk into a game thinking that somebody is going to lay down, you’re probably going to get the opposite, in my experience.”

SCRAMBLED SCHEDULES The Jets were expecting to

NEW York Jets head coach Adam Gase pictured earlier this month. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)

make a West Coast trip this weekend to face the Los Angeles Chargers, and the Dolphins were to play at Denver. Both teams’ schedules were altered because of coronavirus outbreaks involving several other teams.

“It definitely changes things,” Jets linebacker Jordan Jenkins said. “First and foremost, we need to hydrate now. It’s a big change going down to Miami. We know how hot it will be.”

BACK TO FLACCO With Sam Darnold ruled out for his second consecutive game with a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder, 35-year-old veteran Joe Flacco will get another start for the Jets.

Flacco signed with New York in May after having surgery on his neck, an injury that shortened his 2019 season with Denver. He went 18 of 33 for 195 yards and a touchdown in his Jets debut, and he’s hoping to be in more of a rhythm Sunday.

“I definitely think I came out just a little bit tentatively for whatever reason,” Flacco said. “I felt like after the first two series, really, I was able to settle in a little bit and actually start to play football.”

The Jets are 0-7 in games that Darnold doesn’t start since he was drafted in 2018. But Flacco is 7-0 as a starter against Miami, including a playoff win.

BACKFIELD IN MOTION The Jets’ running game will look different in the wake of Le’Veon Bell’s release Tuesday.

While Bell only played in two games this season, his dual-threat presence gave Gase some versatility in the backfield during the games in which he did play. Now rookie La’Mical Perine will see an increased role, with 37-yearold Frank Gore perhaps taking fewer handoffs moving forward.

Perine was a fourth-round pick out of Florida who has 56 yards on 15 carries this season. Gore

leads the Jets with 204 yards on 64 attempts.

“Perine’s definitely going to get bigger role,” Gase said. “Frank, you’re not going to lean on him, because of where he’s at in his career. Getting Perine involved is going to be critical.”

UP FRONT The Dolphins are on pace to give up 26 sacks, after allowing 58 in 2019 to tie for last in the league. The improvement has come while Miami has started three draft picks in the offensive line, a first for the franchise. None has allowed a sack.

“As far as being three knucklehead rookies, they’ve played pretty well,” quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick joked.

First-round draft pick Austin Jackson will miss his second consecutive game Sunday because of an ankle injury. The two rookies on the right side — guard Solomon Kindley and tackle Robert Hunt — are expected to start.

WITH LINEBACKER INJURIES, GOLDEN STARTING AGAIN FOR THE GIANTS

By TOM CANAVAN AP Sports Writer

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — After patiently waiting for a quarter of the season, Markus Golden is finally getting a chance to play a lot in Pat Graham’s defence with the New York Giants.

Golden, who led the Giants with 10 sacks last year, seemingly got lost in the change of leadership and free agency after last season.

Golden was not signed as a free agent and the Giants eventually resigned him after training camp started. He was playing roughly 17 snaps a game until last weekend.

Fixture After strongside linebacker Lorenzo Carter sustained a season-ending Achilles injury, Golden became a fixture on the defence. He was on the field for 57 snaps and he probably will have at least that many Sunday when the Giants (0-5) play host to Washington (1-4) at MetLife Stadium.

The Giants are actually down two starting outside linebackers. Oshane Ximines is on injured reserve with a shoulder problem after a loss to the Rams the week before.

Golden will definitely pick up Carter’s role as a pass rusher.

The six-year veteran said he never felt the Giants were not treating him fairly.

“I try not to take stuff personally,” Golden said

DALLAS Cowboys quarterback Andy Dalton (14) throws a pass as New York Giants linebacker Markus Golden (44) pressures in the second half of an NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Sunday. (AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)

after practice on Thursday. “I’ve been like that for a long time, a long time. Don’t take it personally. Come in, work hard every day no matter what.

Make sure that I’m being the same person no matter what, and that’s what I focus on the most. Make sure I’m being myself. If I’m worried about other stuff and not working as hard as I can because of other stuff that’s going on, then I’m not being myself.”

Graham, who was hired to run the defence by

Joe Judge, said Golden has been the same since they first met. He told the 29-year-old recently his playing time would increase, saying he might have needed a little more time to get comfortable with the new defensive system and terminology.

“He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do,” Graham said. “He’s worked his tail off to get the stuff down that we’re asking him to do. You see some of the production coming. The half sack last week, the play on the back

side of the run against the Rams. You starting to see, ‘OK, here we go.’”

Graham said he has never seen Golden frustrated by his lack of playing time, and he believes he is always ready to play.

“You guys have met him,” Graham said. “I know you can’t meet anybody now, but when he gives you that look that he’s ready to go, he’s looking through your soul, I like that. That let’s me know we have a defensive player. Let’s roll now, we

have to get rolling for this week. We need that.”

Golden insists he is more than a pass rusher, saying he has played every role needed for a linebacker.

“At the end of the day, the only thing I want for the team is really to win,” Golden said.

“That’s all I want.

Whether I get one play or whether I get 100 plays, I want to get a win at the end of the day. That’s truly what I’m about, and I’m always going to be like that no matter what.”

PAGE 14, Friday, October 16, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

AUSTRALIAN OPEN CHIEF WANTS QUARANTINE RELAXED FOR PLAYERS MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian Open chief executive Craig Tiley wants international tennis players arriving for the first Grand Slam tournament of 2021 to be exempt from the 14-day strict hotel quarantines that are mandatory now for inbound travelers.

Tiley on Thursday said he remains “absolutely” confident the Australian Open will go ahead as planned at Melbourne Park from Jan. 18-31, along with lead-up events including the men’s ATP Cup and tournaments in Brisbane, Sydney and Hobart.

He said he is counting on Australia’s state and federal governments to relax border restrictions and grant special approval for players to go into a bio-secure training bubble, similar to what the U.S. Open and French Open did recently, to prepare for the tournament but remain isolated from the public.

“If a player has to ... be stuck in a hotel for two weeks just before their season, that won’t happen,” Tiley told the Australian Associated Press.

“You can’t ask players to quarantine for two weeks and then step out and be ready to play a Grand Slam.”

Roger Federer and Serena Williams, both of whom will turn 40 in 2021, have already committed to playing in Australia but Tiley said players simply won’t show up if they’re not allowed to prepare properly.

“We completely accept that everyone coming from overseas has got to have two weeks in quarantine,” Tiley said, but “what we are negotiating, or what we’re trying to have an agreement on, is that we set up a quarantine environment where they can train and go between the hotel and the courts in those two weeks.”

At the U.S. Open and French Open, players weren’t required to quarantine but instead had to operate in a bio-secure bubble and undergo regular COVID-19 tests before being allowed to compete. Players wore masks between matches at Roland Garros, where Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic in the men’s final last weekend.

Tiley said preparations for the Australian Open are “getting to crunch time now.”

“We need commitments from the governments and the health officers,” he said.

“We need to kind of know in the next two weeks, maybe a month, that this is what can happen: borders are going to open and then we can have a multi-city event.

“If we cannot have a multi-city event, we’ve got to reconsider everything.”

Melbourne has been one of Australia’s hardest-hit cities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A second wave of the coronavirus forced a overnight curfews and a six-week lockdown for its 5 million residents.

Still, organisers are planning to have spectators at the Australian Open — up to 50% of capacity — with social distancing regulations in place.

If state borders aren’t re-opened, Tiley didn’t rule out the ATP Cup and potentially other tournament being held in Melbourne, just as the Cincinnati hard-court tournament was staged at Flushing Meadows before the U.S. Open.

“Anything is possible right now,” Tiley said.

“Everything is still on the table.”

MICKELSON BEGINS HIS MASTERS PREP ON THE PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS PHIL Mickelson hits from the rough on the 14th fairway in the first round of the Northern Trust golf tournament at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass in August. Mickelson will begin his preparation for the Masters in earnest today, at a place, and on a tour, not typically associated with the regimen required to win a major. The lefthander is making his second start on the PGA Tour Champions in the Dominion Energy Charity Classic at the Country Club of Virginia’s somewhat forgiving James River course. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

By HANK KURZ Jr. AP Sports Writer RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Phil Mickelson will begin his preparation for the Masters in earnest today at a place, and on a tour, not typically associated with the regimen required to win a major.

The lefthander is making his second start on the PGA Tour Champions in the Dominion Energy Charity Classic at the Country Club of Virginia’s somewhat forgiving James River course.

Mickelson will be paired with fellow tour rookie Jim Furyk and defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez, who shot a 9-under 63 on a soft course in the final round last year to win on the circuit for the best golfers aged 50 and over.

In choosing to play in Virginia for the first time since 1993, and in a $2 million event rather than seek an exemption into the $9 million CJ Cup at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, Mickelson joked that whatever he managed to do on that course

would be “a letdown.”

It was at Shadow Creek two years ago that he won a $9 million, winner-take-all, made-for-television match against Tiger Woods.

“I’ve had a couple good finishes, but it’s hard to be competitive week in and week out unless you drive the ball incredibly long and straight. The long part I’m okay with, it’s the straight part that I struggle with.”

Phil Mickelson “I made so much more the last time I played that I just didn’t see the benefit,” Mickelson said.

After this weekend, he plans to return to the PGA side for next week’s Zozo Championship in California and, after a week off, the

Houston Open the week before the Masters.

Mickelson won his only other start on the Champions tour, taking home $450,000 at the Charles Schwab Series at Ozarks National in late August. He loved reconnecting with old friends on the tour, and said the atmosphere is conducive to preparatory work he needs.

“It helps me free up, work on the areas that I need to work on in my game. It’s very difficult to be competitive on the regular tour,” Mickelson said. “I’ve had a couple good finishes, but it’s hard to be competitive week in and week out unless you drive the ball incredibly long and straight. The long part I’m okay with, it’s the straight part that I struggle with.”

Honing his competitive fitness also is a benefit, Mickelson said.

“You have to be in the thick of it and feel those nerves and compete for a championship to really be able to get better,” he said, “and I’m able to compete out here and get my skills a little bit sharper.”

His experience at Ozarks, where he went wire-to-wire and finished at 22 under to win by three, was an example.

A week earlier, a missed cut at The Northern Trust knocked him from the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs.

“I think that you have to develop a confidence in competition on the things you’re working on. It’s been good for me in the first event to be able do that and I’m looking forward to be able to doing that here,” he said.

Ernie Els, another tour rookie, and Furyk have each won twice.

Furyk and Mickelson have been rivals since their college days, and the only man to shoot 58 on the PGA Tour thinks having one of the game’s top stars play in Champions Tour events is a benefit.

“It’s a big boost for the Champions Tour to have him come out and play.

“He’s a guy that still moves the needle on the PGA Tour, so it’s a big bonus for us here,” Furyk said.

BAYERN SHOW OFF NEW SIGNINGS IN CUP WIN OVER FIFTH-TIER CLUB

BAYERN’S Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, right, celebrates after scoring his side’s first goal during the 1st round German Soccer Cup match between FC Bayern Munich and FC Duren. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

MUNICH (AP) — Bayern Munich gave their new signings space to shine as they beat fifth-tier club Düren 3-0 on Thursday in the first round of the German Cup. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting scored twice on his debut for Bayern, two months after playing against the German club for Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final. Düren left with heads held high after conceding just three goals against a Bayern team which scored eight against Barcelona in August and eight more against Schalke last month.

Choupo-Moting scored Bayern’s first goal with a calm finish off a square pass from right-back Bouna Sarr, another new arrival from Marseille. A third signing, Douglas Costa, had a role in the buildup in his first game since returning to Bayern on loan from Juventus.

Bayern also gave starts to backup goalkeeper Alexander Nübel and the 17-year-old Jamal Musiala, who scored against Schalke in his Bundesliga debut last month. Bayern are aiming to become the first club to win the German Cup three

years in a row. Düren could have taken a shock lead in the first minute when Marc Brasnic headed a cross toward goal, but Nübel snatched it out of the air.

Bayern kept up the pressure on Düren with or without the ball and was rewarded with Choupo-Moting’s goal in the 24th minute.

Soon after, Joran Sobiech gave away a penalty with a clumsy challenge on Choupo-Moting and Thomas Müller — one of the few first-choice players in the Bayern side — converted the 36th-minute spot-kick with ease. Choupo-Moting made it 3-0 in the 75th with a shot from the edge of the box after a smart pass from Sarr.

Düren were supposed to be the host team for the game, but it was played at Bayern’s stadium. They are one of several small German clubs which gave away their hosting rights for the German Cup. Teams generally cited difficulties adapting their home stadiums to the requirements of the coronavirus regulations used in the tournament, or the costs of adapting a venue for TV broadcasts without ticket income.

LOWER-DIVISION CLUBS REJECT PREMIER LEAGUE BAILOUT LONDON (AP) — The rifts in English soccer grew Thursday when lower-league clubs rejected a proposed rescue package of 50 million pounds ($65 million) from the Premier League as they seek more cash without conditions.

A package of loans and grants was offered to clubs in tiers three and four, which are struggling without matchday income due to coronavirus.

The money is on top of 27.2 million pounds already advanced in solidarity payments, but the English Football League said the bailout was insufficient while insisting that clubs in the secondtier Championship should not be omitted from a deal.

The EFL stressed the need for unity across the three divisions it runs below the Premier League.

“The league has been very clear in its discussions of the financial requirements needed to address lost gate receipts in 2019-20 and 202021,” the EFL said in a statement.

IN a photo taken with a wide-angle lens, a general view of empty stands of the King Power Stadium before the English Premier League soccer match between Leicester City and West Ham United, in Leicester, England, Sunday, Oct. 4. (Nigel French/Pool via AP)

“And while EFL clubs are appreciative that a formal proposal has now been put forward, the conditional offer of 50 million pounds falls some

way short of this.”

The Premier League remains open to providing help to clubs.

“The EFL is keen to continue discussions with

the Premier League,” the EFL said, “to reach an agreeable solution that will address the shortterm financial needs of all of our clubs and allow

us the ability to consider the longer-term economic issues in parallel that specifically look to achieve a more sustainable EFL for the future.”

PAGE 16, Friday, October 16, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

ABACO’S POWER, AIRPORT RESTORATION COSTS $35M

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net THE Disaster Reconstruction Authority’s (DRA) deputy chairman yesterday said some $35m has been invested to-date in restoring Abaco’s electricity supply and international airport post-Dorian.

Algernon Cargill, who is also the government’s director of aviation, told the Abaco Business Outlook webinar that $30m has been spent on rebuilding BPL’s infrastructure with another $5m going to the redevelopment of Marsh Harbour’s Leonard Thompson International Airport.

“We have invested $5m in the airport,” he said.

“Some of the major works

completed include the air conditioning, which was a $500,000 project. We have signed a contract to conduct renovations to the building. Treasure Cay airport will be demolished and will be turned into a fixed base operation (FBO). There is a need to close the Treasure Cay airport.

“It is our goal to get the [Marsh Harbour] airport better than what it was before, and we are working on a new conveyor belt and other facilities to improve the airport. Marsh Harbour’s airport was our second busiest airport prior to Hurricane Dorian. We are very happy with the plans we have in place in conjunction with the government, the IDB (InterAmerican Development Bank) and the DRA.”

AUCTION

“We are also talking to companies to develop a RFP (request for proposal) for a PPP (public-private partnership) in order to convert Marsh Harbour airport. This is on the top of our agenda.”

Turned to post-Dorian debris removal, Mr Cargill said the DRA has moved some three million cubic yards of refuse - an operation that “has provided a significant contribution to the Abaco economy”.

Some $1.6m has been spent to-date on debris management, and another $2.16m on community clean up. “Incineration exercises will continue as a way for debris removal. An RFP is in development for a landfill,” Mr Cargill said. For debris that cannot be used or recycled, the DRA wants to find a way to dispose of what it cannot use.

He added that the government has approved some 1,178 home owners for the Dorian small homes repair

initiative, and spent $3.99m to-date on construction material purchase orders and a further $1.52m in allocations for approved residential proprietors.

“A solar street lighting project is being conducted in partnership with Food for the Poor NGO (nongovernmental organisation), in conjunction with BPL, and this will get underway shortly. The lights have been procured and this project is very imminent,” Mr Cargill said.

“We are establishing P3 (PPP) partnerships with restoring commerce, with a salvage yard, temporary housing, a community centre and subdivision development.”

Describing housing as a “critical priority” in Hurricane Dorian’s wake, Mr Cargill pointed to the construction of 46 permanent homes in Central Pines that are being funded via private donations.

PUBLIC NOTICE

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL The Public is hereby advised that I, AERION RAECINE DuCHRISTIE STURRUP, of No. 56 West Sunrise Drive, Victoria Gardens, Nassau, Bahamas intend to change my name to AERION RAECINE DuCHRISTIE COLLIE. If there are any objections to this change of name by Deed Poll, you may write such objections to the Deputy Chief Passport Officer, P.O. Box N-742, Nassau, Bahamas no later than thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice.

Caterpillar Forklift – Broken Phone: (242) 352-7606 ******** Catepillar Forklift P600 – Broken

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16th

Phone: (242) 601-5328

MARKET REPORT www.bisxbahamas.com

BISX ALL SHARE INDEX:

CLOSE

CHANGE

2094.87

0.03

%CHANGE

YTD

YTD%

0.00 -136.73

-6.13

(242) 323-2330 (242) 323-2320

BISX LISTED & TRADED SECURITIES 52WK HI 4.08 22.65 2.00 1.79 2.46 6.00 6.75 4.80 8.59 4.50 6.16 12.77 3.64 5.60 10.88 8.44 16.99 4.25 9.40 15.21

52WK LOW 3.13 20.91 0.67 1.65 1.67 5.40 5.39 2.70 5.05 3.62 5.60 11.05 2.71 3.85 9.60 7.50 13.04 3.20 8.00 13.90

PREFERENCE SHARES 1.00

1.00

1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00

1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00

1.00 10.00 1.00

1.00 10.00 0.90

SECURITY AML Foods Limited APD Limited Benchmark Bahamas First Holdings Limited Bank of Bahamas Bahamas Property Fund Bahamas Waste Cable Bahamas Commonwealth Brewery Commonwealth Bank Colina Holdings CIBC FirstCaribbean Bank Consolidated Water BDRs Doctor's Hospital Emera Incorporated Famguard Fidelity Bank Focol Finco J. S. Johnson

SYMBOL AML APD BBL BFH BOB BPF BWL CAB CBB CBL CHL CIB CWCB DHS EMAB FAM FBB FCL FIN JSJ

Bahamas First Holdings Preference Cable Bahamas Series 6 Cable Bahamas Series 8 Cable Bahamas Series 9 Cable Bahamas Series 10 Colina Holdings Class A Fidelity Bank Class A Focol Class B

BFHP CAB6 CAB8 CAB9 CAB10 CHLA FBBA FCLB

CORPORATE DEBT - (percentage pricing) 52WK HI 100.00 100.00

52WK LOW 100.00 100.00

115.92 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 102.00

104.79 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

52WK HI 2.35 4.43 2.12 198.39 168.29 1.69 1.85 1.77 1.24 8.34 10.26 7.08 12.15 12.71 10.81 10.00 8.98 11.79

52WK LOW 2.11 3.30 1.68 164.74 116.70 1.64 1.79 1.73 1.06 6.41 7.62 5.66 8.65 10.54 9.57 9.88 8.45 11.20

SECURITY Fidelity Bank Note 22 (Series B) + Bahamas First Holdings Limited

SYMBOL FBB22 BFHB

BAHAMAS GOVERNMENT STOCK - (percentage pricing)

MUTUAL FUNDS

MARKET TERMS

Bahamas Note 6.95 (2029) BGS: 2015-1-3Y BGS: 2014-12-5Y BGS: 2015-1-5Y BGS: 2014-12-7Y BGS: 2015-1-7Y BGS: 2014-12-30Y BGS: 2015-1-30Y BGS: 2015-6-3Y BGS: 2015-6-7Y BGS: 2015-6-30Y BGS: 2015-10-3Y BGS: 2015-10-7Y

BAH29 BG0203 BG0105 BG0205 BG0107 BG0207 BG0130 BG0230 BG0303 BG0307 BG0330 BG0403 BG0407

LAST CLOSE 4.00 17.43 1.62 1.79 1.67 6.00 6.75 2.99 5.10 3.76 5.99 11.26 2.17 5.60 10.34 8.44 14.30 3.96 8.97 15.20

CLOSE 4.00 17.43 1.62 1.79 1.67 6.00 6.75 2.99 5.10 3.76 5.99 11.26 2.18 5.60 10.36 8.44 14.30 3.96 8.97 15.20

1.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1.00 10.00 1.00

1.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1.00 10.00 1.00

LAST SALE 100.00 100.00

CLOSE 100.00 100.00

CHANGE 0.00 0.00

107.31 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

107.31 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

FUND CFAL Bond Fund CFAL Balanced Fund CFAL Money Market Fund CFAL Global Bond Fund CFAL Global Equity Fund Leno Preferred Income Fund Leno Growth Fund Leno Diversified Fund Leno Global USD Bond Fund Royal Fidelity Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Secured Balanced Fund Royal Fidelity Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Targeted Equity Fund Royal Fidelity Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Prime Income Fund Royal Fidelity Int'l Fund - Equities Sub Fund Royal Fidelity Int'l Fund - High Yield Fund Royal Fidelity Int'l Fund - Alternative Strategies Fund Colonial Bahamas Fund Class D Colonial Bahamas Fund Class E Colonial Bahamas Fund Class F

BISX ALL SHARE INDEX - 19 Dec 02 = 1,000.00 52wk-Hi - Highest closing price in last 52 weeks 52wk-Low - Lowest closing price in last 52 weeks Previous Close - Previous day's weighted price for daily volume Today's Close - Current day's weighted price for daily volume Change - Change in closing price from day to day Daily Vol. - Number of total shares traded today DIV $ - Dividends per share paid in the last 12 months P/E - Closing price divided by the last 12 month earnings

CHANGE 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.02 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

VOLUME

16,065

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

EPS$ 0.239 0.932 0.000 0.000 0.070 1.760 0.369 -0.438 0.140 0.184 0.449 0.722 0.102 0.467 0.646 0.728 0.816 0.203 0.939 0.631 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

VOLUME

NAV 2.35 4.43 2.12 196.40 163.60 1.68 1.81 1.76 1.07 8.30 9.90 7.08 11.27 12.71 10.23 N/A 8.93 11.27

and is effectively Mr Gibson’s immediate superior, firmly ruled out any resumption of residential customer disconnections in an economic climate where mass unemployment estimated at between 40-50 percent has resulted in thousands of persons losing jobs and/or incomes.

Acknowledging that water supply was vital to good hygiene, especially during a pandemic such as COVID-19, he added: “The Government has always been mindful of the situation the Bahamian people find themselves in with respect to COVID-19, and it would be hard-pressed right now to make any decision in relation to disconnections.

“That ain’t going to happen, not as it relates to residential customers. We’re in the middle of a pandemic.

I know the executive chairman means well, but the reality is when you look at residential consumers and you look at the pandemic, that cannot happen. It’s a critical decision, and we’re going to make the right decision.”

Mr Gibson said the decision to request permission to restart disconnections, which

NOTICE

NOTICE

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THURSDAY, 15 OCTOBER 2020

FROM PAGE 20

were suspended in midMarch with COVID-19’s arrival, came as talks with the Ministry of Finance over the latter reimbursing the Water & Sewerage Corporation for the $9m in total arrears builtup due to the “no cut-off” policy drag on.

He also disclosed that other government agencies, ministries and departments owed a collective $7.9m for water they had received, with the last payment on this debt owed to the Water & Sewerage Corporation occurring in March 2020. And the corporation’s subsidy had also been cut to $20m in the 2020-2021 budget as opposed to $25m in the previous fiscal year.

While some would argue that any disconnection resumption will be akin to “getting blood from a stone”, or “squeezing a dry carcass”, given that many furloughed or terminated Water & Sewerage Corporation customers will simply lack the means to pay, Mr Bannister conceded that a balance needed to be struck that allows the stateowned water utility to cover its expenses.

In particular, he said the government “is going to have to ensure” that customers of Water & Sewerage Corporation and other state-owned enterprises who can pay, but are instead exploiting COVID-19 to duck their bills, bring their accounts current.

NOTICE is hereby given that MELAND A. MICHEL of Kool Air Sub Road, Nassau, Bahamas., is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 9th day of October 2020 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

Phone: (242) 698-7402

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Minister: Water Corp cut-offs ‘won’t happen’

DIV$ 0.170 1.260 0.020 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.260 0.000 0.000 0.120 0.220 0.720 0.434 0.060 0.328 0.240 0.540 0.120 0.200 0.610 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

P/E 16.7 18.7 N/M N/M N/M N/M 18.3 -6.8 36.4 20.4 13.3 15.6 21.4 12.0 16.0 11.6 17.5 19.5 9.6 24.1

YIELD 4.25% 7.23% 1.23% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 3.85% 0.00% 0.00% 3.19% 3.67% 6.39% 19.91% 1.07% 3.17% 2.84% 3.78% 3.03% 2.23% 4.01%

0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 6.25% 7.00% 6.50%

INTEREST Prime + 1.75% 6.25%

19-Oct-2022 30-Sep-2025

6.95% 4.00% 4.25% 4.25% 4.50% 4.50% 6.25% 6.25% 4.00% 4.50% 6.25% 3.50% 4.25%

20-Nov-2029 30-Jul-2018 16-Dec-2019 30-Jul-2020 15-Dec-2021 30-Jul-2022 15-Dec-2044 30-Jul-2045 26-Jun-2018 26-Jun-2022 26-Jun-2045 15-Oct-2018 15-Oct-2022

YTD% 12 MTH% 2.95% 4.23% 1.39% 3.17% 1.60% 2.52% 0.65% 2.50% -1.88% 3.33% 1.10% 2.34% -2.43% 1.49% 0.34% 2.43% -11.07% -9.92% -0.45% 8.36% -3.20% 11.46% 2.10% 5.15% -6.17% 3.54% 2.92% 5.55% -4.66% -3.81% N/A N/A -4.20% 0.20% -8.60% -2.90%

MATURITY

NAV Date

31-Aug-2020 31-Aug-2020 28-Aug-2020 30-Jun-2020 30-Jun-2020 31-Jul-2020 31-Jul-2020 31-Jul-2020 31-Jul-2020 31-May-2020 31-May-2020 31-May-2020 31-May-2020 31-May-2020 31-May-2020 30-Jun-2020 30-Jun-2020 30-Jun-2020

YIELD - last 12 month dividends divided by closing price Bid $ - Buying price of Colina and Fidelity Ask $ - Selling price of Colina and fidelity Last Price - Last traded over-the-counter price Weekly Vol. - Trading volume of the prior week EPS $ - A company's reported earnings per share for the last 12 mths NAV - Net Asset Value N/M - Not Meaningful

TO TRADE CALL: CFAL 242-502-7010 | ROYALFIDELITY 242-356-7764 | COLONIAL 242-502-7525 | LENO 242-396-3225 | BENCHMARK 242-326-7333

NOTICE is hereby given that SHERWIKA JULMISTE of Lower Bougue Eleuthera, Bahamas., is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 16th day of October 2020 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE

FAUX CHERRY INC. In Voluntary Liquidation

Notice is hereby given that in accordance with Section 138(4) of the International Business Companies Act. 2000, FAUX CHERRY INC. is in dissolution as of October 9, 2020 International Liquidator Services Inc. situated at 3rd Floor Whitfield Tower, 4792 Coney Drive, Belize City, Belize is the Liquidator.

LIQUIDATOR ______________________ LEGAL NOTICE

GINNY WORLDWIDE COMPANY INC. Company No. 1421930 (In Voluntary Liquidation) NOTICE is hereby given pursuant to Section 204 (1)(b) of the BVI Business Companies Act, 2004 that GINNY WORLDWIDE COMPANY INC. is in voluntary liquidation. The voluntary liquidation commenced on 24th July, 2020 and Mr Allan Dennis Cooper of MWM AG and MWM Financial Services Ltd, Claridenstrasse 36, 8002 Zurich, Switzerland as been appointed as the Sole Liquidator.

Dated this 24th day of August, 2020 Sgd. Mr Allan Dennis Cooper Voluntary Liquidator

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, October 16, 2020, PAGE 17

Atlantis on the ‘bubble’ for late 2020 re-open FROM PAGE 20 a virus-free “bubble” through the “Vacation in Place” model that was unveiled by Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, when he announced plans for a November 1 tourism restart that eliminates the mandatory 14-day quarantine for all visitors arriving in The Bahamas.

Such a strategy will mean Atlantis guests will, at least initially, be confined to the resort property in a move that is likely to annoy taxi drivers, straw vendors and outside retailers/restaurants that heavily depend on the Paradise Island resort’s visitors in their own businesses.

However, Atlantis will likely regard this as essential to protecting both its guests and workforce from COVID-19, with visitors to receive rapid antigen tests for the virus on both the fifth and ninth days of their vacation if they stay that long. It is proposed that guests will cover the costs associated with their own tests.

The Atlantis meeting’s outcome seemingly provides a glimmer of hope for the resort’s workforce, the government and wider economy and tourism industry that one of the latter’s two mega resort “flagship” properties may be finally inching towards at least a partial re-opening almost seven months after COVID-19 forced it to close its doors.

The “Audrey meeting notes”, seen by Tribune Business, state: “We do not have an opening date announcement as of [to]

Bran: ‘No justification’ for curb-side retailing FROM PAGE 20 it drives them into losses with sales down by as much as 60-70 percent compared to instore levels.

Mr McCartney, meanwhile,

the exact date but it will be before the end of the year.

“Re-opening does not get us to the end of this, but it’s a start to getting back up and running. We will open in phases with limited portions of the entire resort to re-open in phase one. As business demands grow, we will open more and more of the resort offerings and bring employees back to work.”

The earliest booking date of December 1, as indicated

by Atlantis’ website, suggests the resort may miss the Thanksgiving holiday weekend that traditionally represents the start of the winter tourism season but is seeking to return in time for Christmas and New Year.

Its re-opening would likely boost confidence throughout the Bahamian tourism industry, possibly encouraging other resorts to announce and bring forward their re-opening plans, especially since Atlantis and Baha Mar - as the two largest resorts - drive airlift capacity and seat demand that benefits access to the entire destination.

There may also be some movement on the Baha Mar front, with the booking engines for its Grand Hyatt and Rosewood properties giving an earliest reservation date of November 22 - around the Thanksgiving holiday. However it, too, has yet to confirm its re-opening, and it is possible not too much should be read into this either.

“We are working closely with the government, and we have the same goal: To open Atlantis as quickly as possible,” the meeting

notes said. “We understand how important we are to the country, and want to open fiscally responsibly and safely.

“Working with the airport, the government and the medical professionals, we have the prime minister’s blessing and the minister of tourism’s. The Vacation in Place concept will be the approach for re-opening Atlantis.”

The meeting notes said that once guests comply with the government’s COVID-19 requirements, and produce both a negative PCR test and negative antigen test upon their arrival in The Bahamas, they “will be able to come to the Atlantis bubble”. Visitors will then have to take further antigen tests on the fifth and ninth days of their visit if they stay that long.

“We will be testing every team member weekly for the first four to six weeks to protect the bubble,” the meeting notes added.

“Employees who refuse to be tested will not be permitted to return to Atlantis.”

Turning to the demands from some employees for their full severance pay, Ms Oswell said that while “there is much chatter locally on this topic” Atlantis was sticking to its position. “We are within the confines of the government’s emergency order, “ the notes said.

“We will re-open as quickly as possible and won’t declare any employee redundant until we know the business demands. We would prefer to be in a position to bring employees back to work than hiring new people and process the training and on-boarding.”

The meeting notes also referred to a “holdup” in paying furloughed

Atlantis employees their newly-reduced $100 weekly unemployment benefit, blaming this on the National Insurance Board’s (NIB) delay in sending the payment.

In a separate note, Atlantis employees were informed they will start receiving their vacation pay increments this week. This will take the form of five days’ vacation for members of The Bahamas Hotel, Catering and Allied Workers Union’s (BHCAWU) bargaining unit and non-union hourly employees, and four days for all others.

In addition, members of the union bargaining unit will each get an extra $500 lump sum from the Health and Welfare Funds attached to the hotel industry pension funds. However, some Atlantis workers said they were not vesting too much hope in the resort re-opening pre-Christmas due to rising COVID-19 infection rates in both The Bahamas and its key US source markets.

Dave Beckford, a former contender for the BHCAWU presidency and a furloughed Atlantis employee, said: “I’m not going to put too much hope in Atlantis or any hotels opening up. It’s still wait and see. When you look at what’s happening in the US they don’t have much control over the virus, although there are probably a lot of people that want to get away and travel.

“However you look at it, it takes away the prospects of great enthusiasm for the sector’s opening up with cases increasing here, increasing in the US. We ain’t certain what the hell is going to happen next. When it seems like you’re making progress in suppressing the virus, it goes right back to the beginning.”

told Tribune Business it was hard to understand the rationale for the government’s insistence on curb-side for pharmacies and retail given that the sectors have not been identified as a major source of COVID-19 spread.

“There doesn’t seem to be much justification; no justification at all,” he said. “I don’t

see a huge difference between curb-side or having a certain number of persons in the pharmacy at the same time.

“We have protocols and procedures as to how far apart people should be from each other, where they stand and a minimum number of persons allowed in the premises at the same time. That seemed

to work well. No I haven’t seen any justification for that [curb-side].”

Conceding, however, that measures were needed to reduce COVID-19 infection rate, Mr McCartney added: “Look, something has to be done with this problem we have. It’s out of control, quite frankly.”

PUBLIC NOTICE

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL The Public is hereby advised that I, DONNA MICHELLE GRAY ROLLE of Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas, intend to change my name to DONNA MICHELLE GRAY. If there are any objections to this change of name by Deed Poll, you may write such objections to the Officer in charge Passport Office, P.O.Box F-42536, Grand Bahama, no later than thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice.

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE ZEDERBAUM LIMITED N O T I C E IS HEREBY GIVEN as follows: (a)

ZEDERBAUM LIMITED is in voluntary dissolution under the provisions of Section 138 (4) of the International Business Companies Act 2000.

(b)

The dissolution of the said company commenced on the 09th October, 2020 when the Articles of Dissolution were submitted to and registered by the Registrar General.

(c)

The Liquidator of the said company is CST Administration (Bahamas) Limited of the Bahamas Financial Centre, Shirley and Charlotte Streets, P.O.Box N-3023, Nassau, Bahamas.

Dated this 16th day of October, A. D. 2020 _________________________________ CST Administration (Bahamas) Limited Liquidator LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE TRUMALIN LIMITED (a)

TRUMALIN LIMITED is in voluntary dissolution under the provisions of Section 138 (4) of the International Business Companies Act 2000.

(b)

The dissolution of the said company commenced on the 09th October, 2020 when the Articles of Dissolution were submitted to and registered by the Registrar General.

(c)

The Liquidator of the said company is Leeward Nominees Limited, Vistra Corporate Services Centre, Wickhams Cay 11, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands.

Dated this 16th day of October, A. D. 2020 _________________________________ Leeward Nominees Limited Liquidator

PAGE 18, Friday, October 16, 2020

BPL’s Abaco customer base just 50% of pre-Dorian size

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net BAHAMAS Power & Light (BPL) is receiving 75 reconnection applications per week from residents and businesses seeking to rejoin an Abaco customer base that is just 50 percent of its pre-Dorian size.

Ian Pratt, BPL’s chief operating officer, told the Abaco Business Outlook conference: “Abaco represents our second largest service territory. We had 9,165 customers before Dorian in July 2019. Present recorded customers is now 4,625 as of September 2020.”

He added that, despite the devastation inflicted

by Dorian and the regular power outages that Abaco residents are still enduring, the state-owned utility monopoly has “sufficient generation capacity and redundancy” on the island.

“The island’s peak demand was 26 megawatts (MW), and we installed generation in Abaco of 56 MW,” Mr Pratt said. “There is a 48 MW station in Wilson City power plant.

“We are now faced with the need to rehabilitate both the Marsh Harbour and

Wilson City power stations, and the damage to Marsh Harbour is going to take some significant funding to rebuild. We are well under way in the redevelopment of the Wilson City plant, and that plant is well on the way to delivering steady power.

“We are adding in substations we can monitor from Wilson City to help monitor power supply to the surrounding towns in Abaco.

We are adding some redundancy in the Cays loop, and we are going to strengthen that loop in this redevelopment of the power grid in Abaco.”

Mr Pratt said BPL is adding two new power lines north from Marsh Harbour that will be built on ductile iron poles, in a bid to ensure they can withstand future Category five storms.

He added that the transmission lines have been built on stronger poles, while underground cables will be used to connect the island’s hospital to the grid. Solar micro grids will be used for other key infrastructure such as the Sandypoint clinic; government offices; the airport; and main water and sewerage plants, as well as government clinics.

“The advanced metering infrastructure development

THE TRIBUNE will allow us to monitor from the main station our customers, as well as prepaid metering and allow for remote reconnect and disconnections,” said Mr Pratt.

“We want to make sure what we do is fit for the purpose. We want capacity, reliability and reinforcement in anticipation of growth.

We want to make sure we stay ahead of growth in our target areas.”

John Conway, Water Mission Disaster’s response manager, said: We have spent $4m in response relief for water restoration in Abaco. Our long-term response is the Abaco Sunny Waters project, in partnership with UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund) and Water and Sewerage Corporation.

“This is a $2.2m project. More than 1,000 solar panels will be used for this project, which is being built primarily by Bahamian companies. Water Mission is also working with local medical facilities to provide water solutions. We are using a combination of rain water collection, treatment systems and reverse osmosis to supply the locations with reliable water options.

“Looking forward, we want to marry the Abaco Sunny Waters project in North Abaco. This would provide more resilient water solutions for areas such as Treasure Cay, Green Turtle Cay, Blackwood, Cooper’s Town and Fire Road,” Mr Conway added.

“We currently have donations in the amount of $900,000 towards this project, which will allow us to do phase one, which is the 12 wells that are the North Abaco water station near to the airport. Our organisation is looking to find an additional $1.8m to complete all the phases of this project.”

Go-ahead for 82% of Abaco small firm loans

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net SOME 82 percent of $4.5m in loan and grant applications from Abaco entrepreneurs is in the pipeline for distribution, the Small Business Development Centre’s (SBDC) executive director said yesterday.

Davinia Grant, speaking at the Abaco Business Outlook webinar, said: “We had over $4.5m in requests.

We have approved about $3.7m, and persons are working through those disbursements right now. I think it is more important for us to look at what are the new businesses, and what are the new innovations Abaco needs right now.

“We have to look at our relationships moving forward. We have to think about the long game and resilience, because every time after a crisis credit can’t be the response.” Ms Grant said Bahamians not only have to think about how the economy rebounds, but also how to plan for long-term sustainability.

“Grand Bahama’s rebound was shallow, meaning that they didn’t have to rebound as much, but frankly they were challenged much before Hurricane Dorian. But so much of their activity is undergirded by an industrial economy, which didn’t suffer much as a result of Dorian,” Ms Grant added.

“The pre and post-tax revenue numbers, in particular with Grand Bahama, did not have the drastic drop-off that we saw in Abaco. So, for example, for the four quarters from the third quarter 2019 to second quarter 2020, the tax revenue for Abaco, you are looking at about $10m. For the same period for 2018 to 2019, it was $21m.

“So basically 50 percent of its economy - and when we go further into the year we have for tax records, and you exclude a quarter before hurricane Dorian, you will see an even greater drop-off from an annual revenue point of view. You are probably looking at easily a 70 percent dropoff, and this rebound for Abaco having to happen in a COVID environment has its own challenges.”

One factor behind the drop-off in Abaco’s contribution to the Public Treasury, besides the impact of Dorian itself, is the government’s decision to effectively declare the island a tax-free zone to aid the post-storm reconstruction.

Ms Grant, meanwhile, also focused on the “post pandemic environment”, identifying sectors such as technology and renewable energy as primary focuses for the SBDC. She added: “One island in this archipelago that we really need to be throwing our weight behind is start-ups in Abaco.

“In the new budget cycle we have been fortunate enough to have the government expand the access through equity.” Rather than take on debt financing, Ms Grant said small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can partner with the government and allow it to take an equity ownership stake in their businesses for a certain period of time.

Summayah Cargill, the Bahamas Development Bank’s unit head for its strategic development initiative, said: “BDB going forward will be using our full powers to support national development through economic growth in keeping with the national development plan and the sustainable development goals.

“We have three main business divisions and our re-energised focus has had significant impact on our operations. Our sustainable development goal (SDG) focus just means we incorporate considerations for poverty reduction, youth inclusion, gender equity,

small skill producer support and, of course, long-term sustainability into our decision-making.

Ms Cargill added: “What we do at BDB in the strategic development initiatives, which is a new area for the bank and the area that I head, is that we combine creative concessionary financing, policy advocacy and capacity building.

“We are taking this new approach because we want people to recognise that, at a development bank, we need to build economic growth at the business level but also at the industrial and community level, and we need to have solutions that take into account multiple components of the economy that has to be financed.”

Noting that Abaco will need infrastructure development to “kick-start” its economic rebound, Ms Cargill said: “At the Development Bank we are able to finance all of those things.

“When we think about the economy and the set of interacting systems, there are key access points that are necessary for economic growth, but individual investors may not be prepared to invest in them because they have a different risk metric. What the BDB can do is take the lead in facilitating these initiatives through guarantees, loans and equity to ensure that these projects receive the financing they need.”

Matthew Chandy, director of reconstruction programming at Bahamas Relief CORE, said: “We are not building homes or repairing homes for people.

They are building it themselves, they are repairing it themselves. So we set a certain minimum criteria that we are going to look at, and if they meet those criteria our funds are available to them.

“We give to them in advance, and two remainder payments in stages, and we plan to do about 402 of them. For the small business grants we hope to give grants of anywhere between $5,000 to $10,000 for 120 small businesses.”

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, October 16, 2020, PAGE 19 inevitable crisis. These will surely occur. Such plans are crucial for on-boarding new staff into the company, but also as a means of readying existing team members for issues that will arise. Crisis plans are never used as they are written in the heat of these moments. There is always some messiness to the business of following a plan of hypotheticals. Just roll with it and be flexible enough to make the changes as you go along. This is all a part of the learning process.

• NB: Ian R Ferguson is a talent management and organisational development consultant, having completed graduate studies with regional and international universities.

He has served organsations, both locally and globally, providing relevant solutions

Corporate leaders must embrace COVID reality

L

EADING in times of crisis requires managers to make critical decisions under intense pressure and, sometimes, impending danger.

The relevant adage reminds us that the game of business is played in the jungle and not on the playground; dangers are lurking everywhere.

The goal of crisis leadership is to prevent a crisis from becoming an all-out disaster.

COVID-19 is teaching us some valuable lessons in how to, and how not to, lead in times of crisis. What is eerily unique about the nature of this crisis is that is multi-layered. The health

dangers compound the economic perils, which are accentuated by the social and educational crisis we all find ourselves in. All of these factors stemming from what we call COVID-19 have dramatically impacted business as we know it.

The temptation in the midst of crisis is to sometimes patch holes in the fence to fix the problems.

Plans and actions are usually focused on getting “back to the past” or the established status quo. Crisis leaders, however, must see beyond the holes in the fence. Their strategy should be focused on “going to the future” and the opportunities that await.

Crisis leadership is making a decision to embrace the new normal as opposed to trying to reclaim the old. The word “crisis” comes from the Greek word “krino”, which means to decide.

When crisis strikes, its paralysing effects on business progress can be resolved with the formula of knowing how to identify the root issues; knowing what to do about them; communicating the issues to the relevant stakeholders; implementing a plan of attack and then resolving the problem.

There is often a dangerous tendency to ignore the early signs or onset of a crisis situation, thinking

it will simply “work out”.

The danger here, as the research confirms, is that 70 percent of crises will evolve and escalate if no form of intervention is introduced.

Research also suggests that more than 50 percent of crises adversely impact business profits. Ignoring the reality of any threat to profits is unwise.

The most vulnerable companies are those with weak internal structures, limited communication patterns and a high resistance to learning.

It is time to take notes and pay attention.

All companies must engage in the ongoing planning and preparation for an

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

ORLANDO

High: 88° F/31° C Low: 70° F/21° C

TAMPA

TONIGHT

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

Clouds and sun with a thunderstorm

Partly cloudy, warm and humid

Clouds and sun with a stray t‑storm

A couple of showers and a t‑storm

Windy with sun and clouds

Windy with a thunder‑ storm in spots

High: 87°

Low: 79°

High: 86° Low: 78°

High: 87° Low: 78°

High: 87° Low: 78°

High: 86° Low: 77°

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

98° F

87° F

95°-85° F

93°-80° F

93°-80° F

92°-79° F

High: 90° F/32° C Low: 71° F/22° C

The exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® is an index that combines the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body—everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels. Temperatures reflect the high and the low for the day.

N

almanac

E

W

ABACO

S

N

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 80° F/27° C

4‑8 knots

S

WEST PALM BEACH High: 85° F/29° C Low: 76° F/24° C

4‑8 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE E

W

FREEPORT

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 77° F/25° C

N

S

E

W

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 76° F/24° C

MIAMI

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 78° F/26° C

4‑8 knots

KEY WEST

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 80° F/27° C

Statistics are for Nassau through 2 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 86° F/30° C Low .................................................... 79° F/26° C Normal high ....................................... 85° F/29° C Normal low ........................................ 73° F/23° C Last year’s high ................................. 86° F/30° C Last year’s low ................................... 76° F/25° C Precipitation As of 2 p.m. yesterday .................................. trace Year to date ............................................... 53.21” Normal year to date ................................... 32.06”

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 79° F/26° C

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2020

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 82° F/28° C

N

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 82° F/28° C

N

S

E

W

4‑8 knots

S

6‑12 knots

ANDROS

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

tiDes For nassau High

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

Today

7:49 a.m.

8:11 p.m.

3.8 3.5

1:37 a.m. ‑0.2 2:10 p.m. ‑0.2

Saturday

8:39 a.m.

9:01 p.m.

3.9 3.5

2:24 a.m. ‑0.3 3:02 p.m. ‑0.3

Sunday

9:30 a.m.

9:51 p.m.

4.0 3.3

3:12 a.m. ‑0.4 3:55 p.m. ‑0.2

Monday

10:22 a.m.

10:44 p.m.

3.9 3.1

4:01 a.m. ‑0.3 4:50 p.m. ‑0.1

Tuesday

11:15 a.m.

11:39 p.m.

3.8 2.9

4:52 a.m. ‑0.1 5:46 p.m. 0.1

Wednesday 12:12 p.m. ‑‑‑‑‑

3.5 ‑‑‑‑‑

5:47 a.m.

6:45 p.m.

0.1 0.4

Thursday

2.7 3.3

6:46 a.m.

7:49 p.m.

0.4 0.6

12:39 a.m.

1:13 p.m.

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

7:09 a.m.

6:42 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

6:47 a.m.

6:56 p.m.

New

First

Full

Last

Oct. 16

Oct. 23

Oct. 31

Nov. 8

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 81° F/27° C

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 82° F/28° C

N E

W S

LONG ISLAND

tracking map H

uV inDex toDay

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 88° F/31° C Low: 82° F/28° C

H

to their business growth and development issues. He may be contacted at tcconsultants@coralwave.com.

CAT ISLAND

E

W

IAN FERGUSON BY

High: 88° F/31° C Low: 81° F/27° C

6‑12 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 88° F/31° C Low: 82° F/28° C

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS RAGGED ISLAND High: 86° F/30° C Low: 81° F/27° C

L

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 82° F/28° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 89° F/32° C Low: 82° F/28° C

N

E

W

E

W

N

S

S

6‑12 knots

7‑14 knots

marine Forecast ABACO ANDROS CAT ISLAND CROOKED ISLAND ELEUTHERA FREEPORT GREAT EXUMA GREAT INAGUA LONG ISLAND MAYAGUANA NASSAU RAGGED ISLAND SAN SALVADOR

Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday:

WINDS S at 4‑8 Knots NE at 7‑14 Knots E at 4‑8 Knots ENE at 7‑14 Knots ESE at 6‑12 Knots ENE at 7‑14 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 6‑12 Knots NE at 7‑14 Knots SW at 4‑8 Knots NE at 8‑16 Knots E at 6‑12 Knots ENE at 7‑14 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots ENE at 8‑16 Knots E at 6‑12 Knots ENE at 7‑14 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 4‑8 Knots NE at 6‑12 Knots E at 6‑12 Knots ENE at 7‑14 Knots SE at 6‑12 Knots ENE at 7‑14 Knots

WAVES 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑3 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 3‑5 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑3 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑2 Feet 2‑4 Feet 3‑5 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet 3‑5 Feet 4‑7 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet

VISIBILITY 6 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 7 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 7 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 84° F 84° F 86° F 86° F 86° F 86° F 86° F 86° F 85° F 85° F 83° F 83° F 87° F 87° F 86° F 86° F 86° F 86° F 85° F 85° F 86° F 86° F 86° F 86° F 86° F 86° F

business@tribunemedia.net

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2020

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Minister: Water Corp cut-offs ‘won’t happen’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net A CABINET minister yesterday pledged that the Water & Sewerage Corporation will not be allowed to restart delinquent residential customer disconnections, saying: “That ain’t going to happen.”

Desmond Bannister, pictured, minister of works, told Tribune Business that while Adrian Gibson, the Water & Sewerage Corporation’s executive chairman, “means well” the economic and health challenges produced by the COVID-19 pandemic make it critical that Bahamians continue to receive a home water supply.

Responding after Mr Gibson told this newspaper he would write to Cabinet ministers yesterday urging that disconnections resume because of the corporation’s “dire financial straits”, Mr Bannister admitted the situation calls for “tough decisions” from the government.

He added that the two choices were to either allow Mr Gibson “to do what he needs to do” to ensure the Water & Sewerage Corporation covers its operating costs, particularly vendor payments and payroll, or for the government to provide increased taxpayer subsidies to cover any shortfall.

Acknowledging that “the cake is only so big, and you can only cut it so many ways” when it came to the increased subsidy demands of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) due to COVID-19,

Mr Bannister promised that The Bahamas will “not be in the position” St Lucia and others find themselves in where their governments have exhausted their ability to provide society with financial support.

“The Water & Sewerage Corporation is very challenged, but having said that this is something he [Mr Gibson] has addressed to the Cabinet, and there’s some decisions that Cabinet is going to have to make,” the minister told this newspaper in response to the request to resume disconnections.

“Obviously the tariffs [prices] for water have been in place for quite some time, over 20 years, and he is challenged to be able to bring funding in which is sufficient to be able to keep the corporation running.

“There’s one of two things: He’s going to have the opportunity to do what he needs to do, or the government has to pump more money into the corporation.

It has to be one of those two things, and that’ll be a decision for Cabinet.”

However Mr Bannister, who has ministerial responsibility for the Water & Sewerage Corporation,

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By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

persons in-store, not a pharmacist, let them know what the prescription is or give it to them. They take it to the pharmacist who fills it out, and then it is taken back to the customer. The privacy issue is a concern.”

Mr McCartney added that the current inability of customers to access pharmacies in-store meant purchases of non-medical items would drop-off sharply. “Sales are significantly reduced with curb-side,” he said.

“The last time we did curb-side, sales were 15-20 percent reduced. A pharmacy not only has drugs, but ours, Wilmac’s, is more a convenience store. It has groceries, every-day items, and people tend to purchase those items while they wait for prescriptions and overthe-counter drugs.

“The major part of our pharmacy is over-the-counter items in terms of taking up some of the floor space in the pharmacy. If they can’t get in, persons are unable to make a determination as to whether to purchase or not.

It’s a strain on the business, but it is what it is. It’s very taxing.”

Some retailers, such as Kelly’s House & Home, have opted to close indefinitely until the curb-side restriction is lifted, with many merchants - especially those lacking an online ordering operation - saying

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Atlantis on the ‘bubble’ for late 2020 re-open

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Bran: ‘No justification’ for curb-side retailing THE DNA’s former leader yesterday argued there was “no justification at all” for restricting merchants to curb-side operations - a move expected to cause a 15-20 percent sales fall at his family’s pharmacy.

Branville McCartney, pictured, told Tribune Business that limitations on the number of customers in-store at any particular time, as well as the enforcement of COVID-19 health protocols by retailers, had “seemed to be working well” prior to the latest measures imposed by the government to contain the virus’ spread.

Asserting that curb-side caused “a strain” for businesses, pharmacies and clients, he suggested this restriction did little to combat the COVID-19 “hot spots” that the government has identified among office workplaces and multiple public sector agencies.

The weekend lockdowns, Mr McCartney said, were akin to ensuring the virus “stays at home” for two days before it is let out from Monday to Friday as he branded the Minnis administration’s strategy “a little willy nilly”.

Turning to the problems the latest restrictions have posed for pharmacies, he told this newspaper: “One of the difficulties we have with the curb-side is persons, when they come to the pharmacy, are primarily coming for prescription drugs. More often than not, these prescriptions are personal in nature, private and confidential, and you don’t want others to know.

“So, doing curb-side, persons have to speak to security or one of the

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TLANTIS is targeting a phased re-opening before year-end 2020 by creating a COVID-19 free “bubble” for guests via the “Vacation in Place” model, it was revealed yesterday.

The Paradise Island mega resort’s plans were detailed in leaked notes from what appeared to be a briefing held yesterday morning by Audrey Oswell, its president and managing director, for senior management executives to update them on the property’s plans.

An Atlantis spokesperson declined to comment when contacted by Tribune Business yesterday, but this newspaper was able to confirm via independent sources that the notes were genuine and an accurate account of what had been discussed at the 10.30am meeting.

While The Bahamas’ largest private sector employer has yet to settle on a precise re-opening date, the notes stated that present plans call for this to be before yearend. The Atlantis website is presently accepting reservations from December 1, 2020, which - while not providing complete certainty as to when it will return - may give a further insight into its long-awaited re-opening timeline.

Ms Oswell said the phased re-opening strategy, which was designed during Atlantis’s multiple aborted attempts to open during summer 2020, remains in place. Not all employees will be brought back to work for the re-opening, with the ramp-up in staffing

• Eyes ‘Vacation in Place’ for pre-year end return • Phased ramp-up with earliest bookings Dec 1 • Resort stands ground on redundancy payments

AUDREY OSWELL

dependent on booking volumes and occupancy levels.

Recent lobbying and protests by some Atlantis employees were further discussed at yesterday’s meeting, but Ms Oswell declared that the resort “won’t declare any employee redundant” until it has assessed the strength and timing of any tourism rebound.

She added that Atlantis wanted to be in a position to bring all roughly 8,000

workers back if demand required rather than be forced to recruit new workers, and incur additional training costs. However, staff who refuse to comply with the resort’s plan to test all workers for COVID-19 weekly during the first four to six weeks post-reopening will not be called back.

Atlantis’ re-opening will be based on the creation of

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